Storiesonline.net ------- After The King by Scotland-the-Brave Copyright© 2007 by Scotland-the-Brave ------- Description: Everyone should know that King Arthur was a Celt, based in what is now Scotland. What happened after his death? A young Celt finds himself trying to do his best to survive in difficult times with treachery all around him. Beware!! - there are faeries involved and a touch of young love too. Codes: mf mF Ff voy mastrb ------- ------- Scotland-the-Brave, 2007 ------- Chapter 1 The King was dead. Dead at the hands of his own son if the latest rumours were to be believed. Arthur had led his force of Celts into battle against the hated Picts on the field by Gifford Water in Lothian, his wizard, Merlin, overseeing all from the slopes of the nearby Lammer Law hill. Reports suggested that Merlin must have foreseen the tragedy that was about to unfold for he had cried out piteously across the battlefield and had been seen to turn and stagger away into the wilderness. Arthur's troops had been shaken by the desertion of their magical talisman and had noticeably faltered against their foes. The story described Arthur as being in the thickest of the battle, his mighty sword Excalibur flashing as it smote the Picts left and right. He was tall and muscular, his long black hair streamed out behind him and eyewitnesses claimed he grinned as if he revelled in the fighting. All that had changed with the appearance of an equally tall, muscular and black haired opponent. "Mordred, my son!" Arthur was reported to have cried. The newcomer had taken advantage of Arthur's surprise and had struck a single blow, his sword going in low and piercing the King's belly. Arthur recovered and Excalibur had flashed once more, a mighty blow that arced into Mordred's exposed neck, killing him instantly. After that, the King had sunk to his knees and was overrun by the force of more Picts pressing forward. The disappearance of Merlin and the fall of the King had been more than the Celts could take and they had quickly yielded the field to the Picts, streaming southwards in their efforts to get away. No one knew what had happened to Arthur's body or to Excalibur. A young man, perhaps all of sixteen years of age, sat in front of the village campfire and listened to the various accounts of the battle and the death of the much loved king. He had tears in his eyes as he remembered how the king had looked on the few occasions he had been close enough to see him. Arthur, King of the Britons, had worked hard to unite all of the Celts into a force to be reckoned with. From Cornwall, through Wales, here in Dalriada and in his own lands of Lothian, where fate had decided his end. The King had a vision of a strong Britain, a free Britain and he stirred the hearts of all those who listened to him, inspiring them to follow him. He had been successful in no small part, successful in defeating the Angles and Saxons, successful in driving off the Picts. A mighty leader indeed, always leaning on the advice and support of Merlin, always with his band of trusted knights, winning victory after victory, seemingly unbeatable. And now he was dead. What now for the Celts, for the Britons? And where had Merlin gone? The boy's name was Eoric. Like the rest of the Celts in Dalriada he had viewed Arthur as almost a god, the saviour of their people, the one who would lead them into security and prosperity. Now he mourned the loss. Around him, the men of the village talked about what they might expect next. It was more than likely that the Picts would follow up their victory by sweeping the country to harry and slay as many of the Celts as possible. Broken, dispersed and demoralised, they would view the Celts as easy pickings now. "We should go up into the hills, round up our stock and move to the higher ground," said one of the elders. "Aye, it will be safer there, but Arthur counselled us that the greater safety was in numbers, uniting, not breaking up into smaller groups so the Picts can pick us off," said another "It will be hard to stand against them now, with the Arthur gone. Who will unite us?" asked a third. "What of Merlin? What about Arthur's knights, surely one from their ranks will rise and take the lead?" asked Eoric. The elders peered at him over the fire, surprised that one so young dared to speak. This was frowned upon and even though he had asked reasonable questions, Eoric could sense the resentment coming from the older men. It was perhaps only due to the fact that he had some standing in the village that he wasn't openly and harshly rebuked. Eoric was training to be a blacksmith and blacksmiths were difficult to find in seventh century Britain. But in the year 614AD there was a strictly enforced order to the ways of life in a village, a hierarchy that had to be obeyed and sixteen year olds were somewhat low in the pecking order. "Hmph, don't get ideas above your station laddie," said one of the elders. Eoric could see he was about to get himself into deeper trouble so he stood and wandered away from the fire, thinking his own thoughts about what the future might hold. He took his blanket with him and found a sheltered spot under a large bush, making himself comfortable. He was an orphan, both of his parents having succumbed to one of the all too common outbreaks of fever and illness that periodically swept through the villages. He was intelligent, sharp witted and an independent thinker, qualities that often got him into trouble with his elders and betters. He made connections, saw things that others didn't and with the impetuousness of youth, couldn't stop himself from pointing things out to people. He meant well, was always trying to improve things for the village that he lived in, that sometimes provided him with food and shelter. But the fact that he was young and outspoken caused some to look on him less than kindly. As a result he hadn't been allocated one of the rickety buildings that passed for houses in the village, only managing to shelter from the cold and rain in one of the sheds used for the livestock. The blacksmith who was training Eoric had offered to take him in, but there was a deep sense of loyalty to his dead parent's village that stopped him from leaving it. He lay now in the darkness of the May night and pictured King Arthur as he remembered him once more. The image of Merlin, with his long silver hair and beard, also popped into his head as he drifted off to sleep. Wild cries of alarm and a woman's screams woke Eoric from his sleep. He shook his head to try and clear the fog from his mind and sat up, immediately taking in the scene. Dawn was breaking and with it, the Picts had descended on the village. There were around forty of them and they were sweeping through the houses, slaughtering the people they found indiscriminately. Burning torches were being thrown onto the thatched roofs and the dry reeds caught fire quickly, spreading flames and smoke to add to the devastation and confusion the Picts were creating. Eoric leapt to his feet and lifted his one and only prized possession in his hand. The sword had taken him many hours to fashion and he was proud of the workmanship he had put into it. Until now he had never had cause to use the blade, but that was about to change as he rushed forward to try and help one of the womenfolk who was being dragged from a hut by two swarthy Picts. One of the Picts had a crude axe and the other a sword. Eoric decided the sword was the more dangerous and he struck the man holding it from behind, feeling his own blade jar his wrist as it cut to the bone on the Pict's shoulder. The savage dropped his sword and fell to the ground with a scream, the amount of blood erupting from the wound suggesting Eoric had severed a main vessel. The second savage let go his hold on the woman and turned on Eoric, raising his axe above his head. Eoric was strong from his blacksmith work, but had no training with the sword and it was perhaps that fact that saved him. He thrust forward with his blade in a highly unorthodox attack, taking the Pict by surprise and skewering him up to the hilt of the sword. Eoric felt the warm blood flow over his fist and up close, he saw the life spark in the man's eyes extinguish. The screaming of the first Pict attracted the attention of his fellow savages and several ran towards Eoric. The young man quickly took in the fact that all was lost in the village and chose that moment to make his escape. He ran as fast as his feet would carry him, through the bushes on the edge of the village and off towards the nearby forest. Two of the Picts gave chase, but Eoric's pace, boosted by the adrenaline of the moment, soon had him outstripping them. Despite the fact that the sounds of pursuit quickly died away, Eoric continued to run through the forest as fast as he could. His breath was ragged and his chest and lungs felt as if they were on fire, but he ran and ran until he could run no more. After several miles he collapsed, wheezing and gulping for air, his legs suddenly rubbery. Eoric rolled onto his back and stared up at the sky, trying to control his breathing and listening for any sounds that might suggest he was still being chased. He glanced sideways and looked at the bloody sword in his hand and the rapidly drying Pictish gore covering his hand and wrist. The sight brought back all the detail of his attack on the two men and the realisation that he had killed them began to seep into his mind. He was surprised to find there was no remorse, no regret, only satisfaction that he had fought back and tried to help his village. "I need to make my way to the summer shielings," he thought to himself, "If anyone else survived, that's where they'll head." After a few more minutes recuperating, he felt rested enough to get back on his feet and continue on his way. His village was close to the banks of Loch Awe and he knew he had to head north, up Glen Strae to where the high summer pastures were. The walk was perhaps three miles, but much of it up steep hillside, crossing the shoulder of Beinn Lurachan. Having set out so early in the morning, he reached the summer pastures before midday. The walk passed him by, his mind occupied with his thoughts so that he paid little attention to the spectacular Dalriada scenery. When he at last crested a ridge to look down on the meadow between the peaks of Beinn Lurachan and Meall Garbh, it was to find it deserted. He sat outside one of the herders' huts and pondered what he was going to do next. He felt he would be able to look after himself with regard to food. As an orphan he had years of experience in foraging for himself and he had grown adept at it. He realised that the village had been stupid in not establishing some basic defences and, worse, not posting any lookouts. They had been discussing the probability of the Picts sweeping the country while they had been around the fire the night before so they should have been more alert. The problem was that none of them had thought the Picts would move so quickly and they had paid the price for that. Several hours later he heard the sound of approaching livestock and stood to watch several people from his village walking down into the pasture, herding some cattle ahead of them. He shared what he knew with them and they in turn explained how they had managed to slip away and avoid the Picts. The villagers were impressed by Eoric's description of how he had attacked the savages with his sword, the dried blood and gore on the blade and his hand evidence that he was not exaggerating. As dusk was beginning to settle over the pasture there were eleven people from the village gathered in the high meadow. A fire had been lit and the discussion was all about what they would do next and whether the Picts were still a threat. Eoric had shared his view that it had been foolish to omit to post guards and that had been accepted, a rota immediately being agreed amongst them and a sentry posted to watch the approaches. A low whistle from the current sentry heralded the approach of another Celt. A shadowy figure approached the fire and spoke to all those gathered there. "May the great sun god, present here among us in the form of our fire, bless all of us in these desperate times," said the druid, "For sure the Moon goddess in the skies will watch over us this night." The villagers were clearly nervous of this man. Druids held a great deal of sway in their society. Now they looked at him and nodded their agreement at his words. It was safer to agree with the druids, who knew what manner of disaster they might bring down on them if they were angered? The druid sat at the fire and listened as the discussion started up again. The villagers had returned to the subject of King Arthur's death and the whereabouts of Merlin. "The fate of the King was written as soon as he abandoned the old ways, the old gods. Turning to this Christ was a grave mistake and we warned him against taking such a treacherous path," said the druid. Eoric couldn't sit back and listen to Arthur being spoken of in this way and he spoke up now. "Perhaps the druids only say such things because they can see their power leaking away. The King's conversion to Christianity weakens your position so it's no surprise that you are speaking out against him now," he said. "Who asked you to speak boy?" the druid spat angrily, clearly ruffled by his contribution. Eoric decided he was sick of being treated like a child by all the villagers. He had demonstrated his ability to defend himself and others during the Pict attack, more than could be said for any others from the village. His success had perhaps gone to his head, otherwise he probably wouldn't have thought about arguing with a druid. "I believe I have earned the right to speak, I need permission from no one!" he answered. "Hah! The puppy yelps. You have been looked after by the village all these years, fed, sheltered and now you show nothing but disrespect to your elders!" said the druid. "Looked after by the village? If anyone has looked after me since my parents died it has been myself! I have foraged for my own food, I have found my own shelter, meagre though it has been at times!" Eoric said hotly. "See! The whelp throws your kindness back in your face," the druid told the villagers, "There is gratitude!" "I was the only one to try and defend the people of the village. How many Picts did you kill Sir Priest?" cried Eoric as he looked at the faces round the fire, "And the rest of you, how many of the savages did you kill in the defence of others?" Eoric had cleaned himself and his blade of blood and the druid now took the opportunity to ridicule his claims. "We only have your youthful word and boyish imagination to suggest such a mighty deed every happened. No one else witnessed your heroic actions puppy, no one else witnessed them because they didn't happen! You haver boy, haver! He insults us all and brags about his imaginary exploits, I say he should be thrown out of our company and left to fend for himself. That should be no great hardship to one who has looked after himself all this time and who can slay the Picts in the blink of an eye," asserted the druid. The villagers were swayed by the druid's influence and didn't want to go against him. There were mostly mumbles around the fire, but one or two of the elders were already annoyed at Eoric's outspoken attitude and voiced their agreement with the druid's suggestion. It quickly became clear that Eoric was no longer welcome. He was sharp enough to recognise the reality of the situation and he accepted it. "Thank you for this great service, Sir Druid, I will be sure to try and return the kindness at some point," he said as he rose to stand in front of the fire. "I think not puppy, you will not last long out there on your own. I give you a few weeks at the most," laughed the druid. The villagers joined in the laughter nervously as they watched Eoric wander away from the fire. He blundered around in the darkness until the Moon came out from behind a cloud and provided enough light to enable him to navigate through the mountain pasture. The temperature was dropping and he realised he didn't have so much as a blanket. Perhaps the druid had the rights of it, perhaps he wouldn't survive long on his own. He walked until he reached a stand of trees, mostly birch and rowan this high up, and he crawled under a bush, pulling up ferns by the armful to cover himself and keep out the cold. He lay there listening to the sound of a nearby waterfall, holding his sword tight to his side and drifting off into a dream where he, Eoric, replaced Arthur as the champion of the Britons. His last conscious thought was that the druids were frauds, they were no more in contact with the gods, goddesses and Mother Nature than he was with the birds and the bees. They were fantasists! Little did Eoric know that there was ample evidence of the druid's world within yards of him. The faery folk were older than the druids, had lived in these lands for time immeasurable and there were four such faeries almost within touching distance of him now. Faeries had a love of the young and all four of them were there to keep a watchful eye on Eoric. They had watched over him before at times and they were buoyed by his spirit, his intelligence and his willingness to try and help others. Eoric couldn't have described them, couldn't say what they were, but next to him were four very different faeries. Under the waterfall stood an Uruisg na h-Alba. The Uruisg were lonely faeries, looking like part human, part goat and they craved company. This particular Uruisg knew Eoric well, having watched over him for many years. Within the birch trees lurked a Ghillie Dhu. The Ghillie Dhu were tree spirits, dressed in clothing of woven moss and leaves. The spirit had looked upon Eoric as he had walked through the woods, sympathising with the boy's tragic circumstances and thrilling at his undiminished will to make something of himself. He had intervened to hinder the Picts pursuing Eoric and continued to watch over him. Standing alone on the hillside was a Gruagach, a solitary faery, feminine in appearance, but ugly in the extreme. The faery's sheer ugliness meant that she had little contact with other beings, as they couldn't look upon her without feeling physically sick. She too had watched young Eoric from afar and had contemplated approaching him, believing his solitude would make him amenable to speaking to her. She considered Eoric as one of her most important projects. Finally, in the meadow not ten yards from where Eoric slept there was a Heather Pixie. She had a golden aura, translucent wings, and her ability to move quickly and blend in with the plants of the highlands made her all but invisible. The pixie had grown fond of Eoric and wanted him to grow and become the man that she knew he could become. He aroused her too. All four of the faeries remained motionless watching the young man. He was snoring gently under his bush and was completely unaware of the threat that was heading his way. Thousand of miles above Eoric an asteroid was hurtling towards the Earth. It was huge, fifty yards across and many tons in weight. As it plummeted through the atmosphere, the heat and friction seared into the space rock and obliterated it, reducing its size to barely a foot in diameter. This much smaller object still made it through though and was now heading directly at Eoric. It trailed a tail of flame behind it as it rushed downwards and the four faeries looked at it anxiously, aware that it was going to hit him. ------- Chapter 2 As the meteorite headed for Eoric, all four of the faeries rushed forward to protect the boy, mindless of each others presence. As the fiery ball reached within five feet of Eoric, the faeries joined together to resist its energy and all four were blasted by the object, being immolated together and finding their essence being absorbed into the unsuspecting boy's body. The nature of Eoric's dreams began to change as his body absorbed the very essence of the four different faeries and the raw energy created by the meteorite. The scene that played out now inside his head was no longer the product of his own imagination, but instead was a genuine vision. He 'saw' the wizard Merlin hold the sword Excalibur aloft and then throw it out across the water of a loch. As the blade tumbled end over end towards the surface a hand appeared from the depths and plucked it out of the air. The hand held the sword upright for a few seconds, as if in some kind of salute to the wizard and then it disappeared, the only trace of it a ripple on the water. Eoric watched as Merlin turned his back to the loch and walked over to what was obviously a funeral pyre. The body of King Arthur was laid out on top of the wood. Merlin pointed his staff at the base of the pile and a blast of flame emerged and lit the pyre. The wizard stood, head slightly bowed, as the flames licked up and round the body before consuming it entirely. The scene faded and was replaced by another that featured flames, this one a village that had obviously been ravaged by the Picts. A band of men rode through the houses, in pursuit of the Picts. These were Celts, well-armed Celts, so it seemed as if some resistance was taking place. There were perhaps two hundred in the group and they were led by a man with bright yellow hair. Eoric recognised him as Eochaid Buide, King of the Epidii of Dalriada. A third and final scene replaced the village, one that showed the hill-fort of Dunadd and a beautiful young girl with long copper hair. She was sitting quietly, sewing some garment or other and talking to what seemed to be a maid. ------- Merlin walked round the cave that was his only home. The cave was carved on two levels and the stone of the walls was smooth as if it had been ground down over many years by some great force. Something was troubling Merlin. He had felt a presence when he had returned Excalibur to the Lady of the Loch and when he had faithfully conducted the funeral for his beloved Arthur. He had extended all of his powers to try and identify who or what was watching him, but whatever it had been had eluded him. To do that required very powerful magic he knew and it intrigued him that he had come across something as strong as this. He wondered whether this presence could have had something to do with King Arthur's death. In the weeks leading up to the battle, Merlin had had a sense of impending doom and had warned Arthur about it. Arthur laughed off Merlin's warnings and re-assured his friend that everything was going to go well. While he had been standing on the slopes of Lammer Law Hill, Arthur's death came to him in a vision and he had cried out his despair across the battlefield before he had staggered away. Now he pondered on whether his growing sense of trouble brewing could be connected to the powerful source of magic, magic that seemed able to watch over what he did without him being able to identify its source. ------- King Eochaid led his group of men through the countryside to try and catch up with more of the Picts that were laying waste to the villages of his kingdom. It had been a number of years since the Picts had felt strong enough to raid this far into his territory and he realised he would need to raise his full force and begin to carry out some punitive raids of his own to teach them a lesson. Finding no Picts at the next village, but houses still burning, he decided to split up his force to try and cover more territory. He knew that survivors would head for high ground and he ordered a small group to begin to round these up and ensure they returned to their villages. That would be important if crops and livestock were to be raised and set aside to see Dalriada through the winter. He decided that he himself would return to Dunadd for now. ------- When Eoric awoke in the morning the details of what he had seen were still vivid in his mind. He was aware of birdsong around him and the continuing sound of the nearby waterfall. He rose and walked over to the fast moving mountain stream that ran from the foot of the waterfall. He bent to cup some of the cool clear water in his hands and drank deeply, savouring the refreshing liquid. He let his brain ponder the significance of the scenes he could remember. Somehow he realised they were important and no normal dreams. He sensed a change had come over him, but couldn't identify what it was, instead he returned his focus to the scenes from his sleep. He knew a little of the politics of his time. Eochaid was Arthur's younger brother, but their father had elected to make Eochaid his heir for the Kingdom of Dalriada rather than Arthur. Arthur had carved out his own Kingdom in Lothian through sheer strength and his ability to get others to follow him. Once he had secured his Kingdom, Arthur had set about trying to realise his grand vision of uniting all of the Celtic tribes into one Britain, one strong Britain. He had included the Epidii Celts in Dalriada, but Eoric knew that Eochaid was more interested in defending the territories he held in Aontroma (modern day Antrim), across the sea in Ireland. Eochaid's support for Arthur's vision had been half-hearted at best, perhaps influenced by sibling rivalries, and Eoric was pretty sure that his attention would now be solely focussed on protecting his own lands. He could see little wrong in that; at least the Epidii would be organised and effectively led in defending themselves. Eoric liked the idea of more security. He also knew Eochaid was another who was Christian, having converted along with his father Aedan, under the teachings of Columba himself. Aedan had been crowned on Iona at Columba's hands and the Irish missionary had been well supported by the Epidii. Eoric wasn't sure what the significance of the scene showing Arthur's funeral was or who the girl might be, but he decided his 'vision' could possibly be trying to give him some direction. Having been cast out from his village, he would make for Dunadd and see whether he could find a position with a blacksmith there. His decision made, Eoric stood and took in his surroundings once more. He felt somehow more 'aware', there was no other word to describe what he felt. He was just - more aware. His whole body tingled and it felt as if the blood in his veins was fizzing with pure energy. The birdsong was clearer and the animal life forms around him were also clear in his mind's eye. It was as if he could feel the life in the earth beneath his feet, as if he had suddenly put down deep roots. There was something else. He could hear the villagers talking and was 'aware' of their presence, even down to being able to single out the druid. "What's going on?" he asked himself. "You have become an elemental." The voice had sounded inside his head and Eoric jumped with surprise at the sound. He looked around himself, but couldn't see anyone. No, the voice had definitely been inside his head. "Who or what are you?" he asked anxiously. "We are what is left of the four faery spirits that you have absorbed into your body, an Uruisge, a Gruagach, a Ghillie Dhu and a Heather Pixie. We have been combined, along with the concentrated energy of the space object that was about to hit and kill you as you slept." Eoric was stunned. He wasn't sure he even believed there was such a thing as a faery and the suggestion that he had narrowly avoided death while he slept was too much for him to accept. He shook his head as if this might somehow remove the voice from his mind. "We can sense you do not believe what has happened. How else can you explain the fact that you can hear people and sense their very essence from several miles away?" He thought about that question for a few minutes. The voice had a point, he knew he had walked for perhaps an hour the night before, so unless he had gone round in circles he should be several miles away from the villagers. And, even if he was closer than he thought, how could he explain the fact that he could sense their essence? "Okay, I'm not saying I believe any of this, but what does it mean being an elemental?" "We are not sure. A Ghillie Dhu is a tree spirit and can draw great strength from the earth. There is ancient lore known only to the oldest of trees and the Ghillie Dhu knows all of the trees' secrets. You might have access to the spirit's strength and to this lore. The Ghillie Dhu also have the power of divination. "A Heather Pixie is an earth spirit and also draws energy from nature herself. These spirits know all the lore of the plants, rocks and minerals that surround us and it is possible that you now have access to that information. Pixies can also fly, but I'm not sure whether you will have absorbed that ability or not. "The Gruagach can summon the winds and fire at will. They know all that the air and wind know, all the lore gathered down through the ages. The Gruagach can also call the birds and animals, can see into their minds and learn what they know. They are also shapeshifters, able to take on the shape and appearance of any animal that walks or moves upon the earth. "The Uruisge is a water spirit and it can summon all of the animals that live in or on water. They have the strength of the tides and the currents and as all life stemmed from the water, the Uruisge have great fertility. They are also able to take on the appearance of water. That is, they can become transparent and if they do so while out of water then they are invisible to your eye. "That is what we know of the four spirits, but as we say, we don't know what remains of their abilities and knowledge now that the four have been combined with your essence. We are not sure what the energy from the meteorite has done either. Until we find out the answers to these questions, we caution you to be careful in your words and actions." Eoric's head was spinning with what he had heard. If even half of what the voice had said was true, his life had just been turned upside down. In the midst of his concern a more fundamental thought popped into his head - he realised he was hungry and tried to remember when he had last eaten. "Well, I suppose I need to test out whether any of this is true at some point," he said to himself. Eoric walked to the nearby stream once more. He tried to concentrate on a picture of a fish in his head, imagining its scaly body and fins, its bulbous eyes and gaping mouth. "Come to me fish, come to me," he said out loud. He looked down at the water, but nothing happened. He waited a few moments and then tried again. Once more he concentrated on the image of a fish in his head. "Come to me fish, come to Eoric." Again nothing happened. "You're going about it all wrong," said the voice in his head. "Well what am I supposed to do?" he asked. "You need to actually be able to see the creature you're summoning or at the very least have seen the thing previously. You can't just summon a creature in the abstract, you need to be able to focus on something real." Eoric walked slowly along the banks of the stream, peering into the water looking for a fish. The stream wasn't particularly wide or deep and if he had thought about it, not a good spot to find fish. He did spy a pair of ducks paddling along and decided to try his luck with them. He looked directly at the larger of the two ducks and captured its image in his head. His senses built up a rich picture of the duck, almost as if he was aware of every molecule and atom that was part of it, could sense its little heart beating. "Come to me duck, come to me," he said. Although he was trying to summon the bird, he was still surprised when it changed direction and began to swim directly towards him. "It works!" he thought to himself. The duck reached the edge of the stream and hopped out of the water, waddling forward until it reached Eoric's feet. He quickly reached down and twisted the bird's neck, breaking it cleanly. As his hands touched the bird he heard an echo inside its head. The duck seemed to be repeating something almost like a mantra. "I must go to Eoric, I must go to Eoric." When he twisted the bird's neck, the rich image he had of its essence vanished along with its life and he was left with a dead duck. He sat down to pluck the bird and then used his small knife to dress it. Gathering up nearby twigs and branches he stacked them into a pile and without conscious thought pointed the index finger of his right hand at the wood. A burst of flame leapt from his fingertip and set the wood alight. "Fuck," gasped Eoric, "Where did that come from? How did I do that?" "We have no idea. None of the faeries had any such ability so it would appear as if the combination of the four and the energy from the meteorite have somehow given you different abilities." ------- In nearby Alt Clut (modern day Strathclyde) King Beli met with his chiefs and advisors. Strathclyde had been subservient to Dalriada for a number of years when Eochaid's father, Aedan, had defeated them in battle. Aedan himself had been defeated by the Saxons of Bernicia under King Æthelfrith. The battle of Degestan had been where Aedan met his death and that had led to the Britons of Strathclyde throwing off the shackles of Dalriada. But the bad blood between the two tribes of Celts was still a tangible thing. Beli turned to two druids who sat round his table. "Tell me again how Arthur died and how you and your friends are going to help me take Dalriada for my own?" he asked. "He died at the hands of his own son, Mordred. The blade sank into his belly and his lifeblood drained into the Lothian soil, a worthy tribute to the goddess from the Christian fool. My brethren are watching as the Picts weaken the Epidii and when the time is right we will send you word so that you can launch your attack," the senior druid said. "Remind me not to offend your order my friend, for I can see you have a deep rooted desire to see the Epidii pay. I can only guess at what has bred such bile in you." "These Christians offend the true gods and goddesses. They defile Mother Nature with their presence and views and must all be cleansed from these lands!" spat the druid. It was clear the druids were hell bent on seeing the end of Dalriada and would do anything to make that happen. ------- Chapter 3 Eoric rinsed the dead bird in the mountain stream and then stuck its carcass onto a stick and held it over the fire to cook. The fat from the duck dripped down into the flames, spitting and burning. The smell of the cooking flesh made his mouth water and before long he was burning his fingers as he tried to cut off strips of meat with his knife. When he had finished the duck, Eoric decided it was time to set off on his journey to Dunadd. He determined that he would try some other things on the journey to test out his new abilities. He headed west in order to avoid having to pass the villagers and the druid. His route took him through Glen Kinglass and along the shores of Loch Etive, looping south so he could pass Loch Awe and continue towards the hill-fort. As he walked he could feel the various rocks and earth types beneath his feet, feel their constituency and how rich in minerals they were. As he descended to the floor of the Glen the richer soil was clear to him and he sensed the various plants and trees around him, feeling a definite affinity with them all. He felt himself 'connected' with all the animal and bird life he passed and simply enjoyed soaking it all up. "You have to stop this now, you're reaching dangerous energy levels." Eoric stopped walking when he heard the voice in his head once more. "Stop what? I'm not doing anything," he said. "You're leeching energy from the ground, from the trees, and even from the animals and birds. If you gather any more energy to yourself, we don't know what will happen." Once the voice had spoken the words Eoric became aware of a strange buzzing in his ears and felt his entire body literally fizzing with energy. He realised the voice must be right and wondered what he could do to drain off some of the energy. He started walking again, now more aware of how he was connected to nature and concentrating on not drawing off any more energy. He crossed a rocky slope and became aware it contained a heavy seam of copper ore mixed with other minerals. He stooped and looked down at his feet. There was no visible evidence of the metal, but he just knew it was there. He held out both of his hands, palms down and focussed on pushing energy down into the rock. He felt a rush down both arms, heard an almighty bang and felt himself lifted from his feet and flung through the air. He landed perhaps twenty feet away from where he had been standing, falling to the ground with a bump. Eoric scrambled to his feet, pleased that he seemed to be uninjured and made his way over to where he had discharged the energy. His eyes opened wide with amazement as he saw the deep gash in the rock and the pure seam of solid copper. He knew roughly how hot a furnace had to be to melt ore before metal could be recovered from it. His blast of energy had to be even hotter than such a furnace if it could extract the copper so quickly he thought. The buzzing in his ears had at least died down and his blood was not fizzing within his body to the same extent it had been before. He recognised how powerful he now was and how useful, but potentially dangerous this ability to build up energy could be. He would need to learn how to control his use of it or there could be disastrous unforeseen consequences he knew. Eoric started walking again and decided he would try and see whether he could now fly as his next test. He raised his arms at his sides and focussed on lifting himself off of the ground. Nothing happened. He started to run and then leapt up into the air, beating his arms as he did so. Again nothing happened and he landed back on the ground from his leap. A solitary wolf was hidden on the slopes of the glen, watching the strange human below as he ran and jumped up into the air. The wolf had not managed to kill anything for over a week and was almost out of its mind with hunger. Normally it avoided all contact with humans, but it had reached a desperate state and its hunger overrode its normal sense of caution around them. It started to creep down the slope towards Eoric. Eoric became aware of a violent essence, an essence driven by hunger, an essence that carried a picture of his throat and a burning desire to sink rank, dirty fangs into it. He sensed the essence was moving stealthily towards him and stopped, turning full circle. He tried to pinpoint where it was coming from and quickly spotted the wolf, his pulse racing for a second with fear. The wolf saw the human stop and turn towards him. He could smell the sudden surge of fear that rushed through the man and prepared itself to cover the few remaining yards to sink its teeth into the human's flesh. Just as it gathered its hind legs under itself to spring forward, the wolf felt a searing pain in its head and a clear voice. "Not today Mr Wolf, not today. You've picked the wrong target this time my friend, now go on your way and leave me in peace before I get annoyed." The smell of fear on the human had vanished and now the wolf could sense the great power that emanated from him. The voice was overwhelming and compelling, the wolf knew that it had to obey. It turned and slinked off, quickly hiding itself back amongst the rocks and stubby bushes on the slope. Eoric smiled, pleased with himself that he had controlled his fear and used his abilities to avoid a confrontation with the wolf. He was doubly pleased in that he had managed to do so without hurting the wolf, somehow that seemed important to him. "You are connected to nature now so you naturally want to protect living things, you hold them almost as sacred. Killing to keep yourself alive will be easy enough for you - to defend yourself or to secure meat and plants to eat. But apart from that your spirit is so connected to living things that you will feel their death almost as the death of a little part of yourself." He began to realise just how much his life had changed with these new-found abilities. He still wasn't sure of the range of things that he could now do, as he hadn't really extended himself, but each thing he discovered brought an increased responsibility on him. Eoric continued on his way, the morning sunshine felt pleasant and there was a spring in his step. He had managed a further two or three miles when he heard voices and the sound of horses' hooves coming towards him. Stepping off of the path, he stood with his back to a rock face and gripped his sword tightly. It was an hour or so later before a group of a dozen or so riders came into view around a bend. Eoric realised he must have heard and sensed them while they were still some distance away. He sighed with relief as he recognised them as Celts. He fully expected the riders to speak to him when they drew level, but they continued on past his without a glance. He stood with a puzzled look on his face as the riders carried on towards the pasture. He overheard some of their conversation, but also something else that surprised him. "Many seem to have simply run for the hills instead of fighting the cursed Picts," said one man. "Aye, cowards the lot of them. Why the King wants us to round them up and make sure they get back to their villages safely I don't know. They're not worth saving!" said another. "A bit like you then Garaic. I wonder if the villagers smell as bad as he does?" Eoric had been looking directly at the man that he knew these words had come from, but the man hadn't spoken. He realised that somehow he was able to read what the man was thinking. He quickly focussed on the man again and tried to tune in once more. "By the gods my arse hurts, I wish he would call a break so we could get down from these bloody nags and stretch ourselves for a bit." He had definitely heard that and he was sure it was inside the man's head. "Is being able to read people's mind another ability that you forgot to mention?" he asked the voice inside himself. " Definitely not, such an ability has never been known amongst the faery folk. The closest we come to that is divination or the gift of sight as you might call it and being able to see into the minds of wild creatures. No, this is another strange gift that you have inherited." "Why didn't they stop and speak to me, at least I could have given them directions on where to find the villagers," Eoric said to himself. "Ah, now, we can answer that question. They didn't see you. I told you that the spirits could assume the colours and guise of those things that they have a close affinity with. You have seemingly inherited all of that and you simply blend in to whatever you're standing beside. All they would have seen was a rock face," said his internal adviser. Eoric recognised just how helpful these other abilities could be. He apparently had the best natural camouflage ever and was able to read people's thoughts. He let his mind go over the possible uses for such skills. Taking stock, he started with the fundamentals of life. His new skills would help him feed himself and he could build a fire anywhere and in just about any weather so he would be able to remain warm. His ability to gather strength and power from surrounding nature, his stealth capability and being able to read people's thoughts would all make him more secure if he used them wisely. There was even a possibility that he could use his skills to help his fellow Epidii in some way he thought. Perhaps he could spy on the Picts? His conversion of the copper ore into pure metal would also be invaluable. Supplies of metal were scarce and expensive he knew from his blacksmith training. Would it be possible for him to find other deposits through his connection with the rock and soil? If he could that would bring significant riches. By mid afternoon he had managed to skirt the foot of mighty Ben Cruachan and made it as far as Tigh-an-Uillt (modern day Taynuilt). He had always loved the majesty of the Dalriada, but now, with his new awareness, the sight of the rugged mountain and the Loch all but took his breath away. He could feel the deep roots of Ben Cruachan through his feet, the living rock was powerful, ancient and full of mystery. Eoric sensed a stream off to his right. He headed in that direction and fifteen minutes later he came across the water, this stream broader and deeper than the last. Once more he peered into the water as he walked along the bank and was rewarded this time when he spied two fairly fat trout lazing close to the opposite bank. Eoric focussed on the fish and summoned them to him. He lay down on the bank to scoop both fish out of the water, tapping their heads quickly against a nearby rock to kill them. Once again he felt their life end and his connection to them was cut, creating a little frisson of remorse within him. He quickly mixed up some soil and water to create a thick mud and covered both of the trout in the mixture. He left the fish on a rock and began to gather up wood to make a fire, using a blast of flame from his finger once more to set the wood alight. He carefully laid the mud-covered fish on top of the burning wood and then laid further branches on top of them so that the fish would bake nicely. Once the fire had burned down he used a stick to flick the cooked fish from the flames and onto the grass. The mud had roasted itself to hardness and he was able to crack it and extract the fish with little difficulty other than burning his fingertips. He used his knife to remove the skin and reveal the succulent pink flesh beneath. He let them sit to cool for a few minutes longer before his hunger drove him to begun breaking off pieces and shovel them into his mouth. Once he had eaten, Eoric continued walking, surprised that he felt no weariness despite having walked all day. By nightfall he had reached the edge of Inverinan Forest and felt something welcoming about the trees there. He decided he would rest for the night here and searched out a likely spot before wrapping himself in his plaid and pulling more bracken fronds around him. He dropped off to sleep quickly and another vision began to play itself out in his resting mind. An owl sat on a branch above him and watched as he twitched and turned on the forest floor below. The scene that Eoric saw this time showed Merlin sitting in front of a fire in what looked like a cave. The wizard was drinking from a beaker and poring over a large tome bound with leather. As he watched, he saw Merlin's head suddenly come up and the wizard looked all around himself. "Show yourself! I know you are there, I feel you're looking over my shoulder! Come out into the open fell beast, come, let me look at you and let us test ourselves, one against the other!" Merlin cried. Eoric was surprised. It appeared as if the wizard could sense his presence, but that he couldn't 'see' him. The fact that Merlin seemed to think of him as some kind of demon or beast was disturbing and it forced Eoric's subconscious to respond. "I am no beast Merlin, merely a Celt who is trying to survive the ravages of the Picts. Somehow I am able to see you in my dreams, but I mean you no harm, mean the Celts no harm, quite the opposite," he responded. He saw Merlin start as he obviously heard Eoric's voice. "Who are you and how are you able to visit me like this?" "I am Eoric, a trainee blacksmith in Dalriada. As to how I can see you and talk to you, that's a long story," Eoric responded. Merlin's image had frozen and his eyes appeared sightless. Eoric continued to gaze at him for some minutes and then the wizard groaned and slumped to the floor. "Merlin, Merlin! Are you ok?" Eoric asked. The wizard pulled himself up and sat down in the stone chair carved out in front of the fire. He took some time to steady his breathing before Eoric heard him speak again. "I feel the weight of the Picts and the Saxons bearing down on us. I have just watched as they crush us under their heels. The Britons are doomed, the same shadow that took Arthur from me is descending upon us and there is nothing I can do about it." "Merlin, I have powers, what can I do to help protect our people?" Eoric moaned. "You, Eoric the blacksmith? There is nothing that you can do. Yes, I can see who you are now, where you are. I'm afraid that, big as I can see your heart is, a sixteen year old boy can do little to save the Britons." "Do not treat me as a child sir wizard! There is more to me than meets the eye." As Eoric defended himself the scene began to fade out, much to his annoyance. A new scene appeared in Eoric's head, a scene that showed a druid in the middle of a large company. Eochaid was there and Eoric also spotted the girl with the copper hair. As Eoric watched, he saw the druid slip something into a goblet of alcohol and swirl it round. The druid approached Eochaid and held out the goblet to him. "Nooooooooo!!!!!!" cried Eoric in his sleep. The owl panicked and took flight at the scream that had sounded across the forest. ------- Chapter 4 Merlin sat bolt upright in his bed. He could still hear the echoing cry of 'Noooooooo!' that had disturbed his sleep. The voice appeared similar to that which he had heard earlier and he hoped the boy hadn't already found himself in trouble. The contact from Eoric had surprised him and the boy's emotional outburst as he defended his abilities had allowed Merlin to at last use his own powers to identify and locate him. The identification raised another problem for Merlin though. He couldn't possibly believe that Eoric was responsible for the sense of foreboding he had been feeling for some weeks now. He believed it highly unlikely that Eoric mentally looking over his shoulder at Arthur's funeral would have resulted in the evil signals he had sensed. That suggested that someone else was watching him too. The wizard got out of bed and pulled a heavy cloak around his shoulders, shuffling over to sit in front of the fire once more. He peered deeply into the flames, letting his focus and mind drift away, as he tried to connect in some way with the boy. Nothing. He made himself relax and felt his mind reaching out over the miles, searching for the thought patterns that he had picked up from Eoric earlier. Merlin was able to see the Scottish countryside below him as he mentally drifted westwards, the moonlight reflecting off of the many small lochs, rivers and streams. "What are you searching for now, master?" Merlin recognised the sweet feminine voice of Nimue, the beautiful Lady of the Loch. For some reason he sensed he shouldn't share any details of his current quest with his talented apprentice and he closed that part of his mind that had been searching for Eoric. To deflect any possible interest in the boy, he answered Nimue's question obliquely. "I have sensed a dark presence for weeks now, Nimue and I am trying to identify who or what it is. I feel sure that it is somehow connected to Arthur's death," he said. "But you must rest Merlin, you grow tired easily these days and must conserve your strength." As Merlin heard her words he did indeed feel himself feeling very weary and he nodded to himself as he rose and shuffled back to his bed. He lay down and pulled the heavy blankets over him, falling asleep immediately. ------- In a cave deep under the Loch, Nimue sat looking into a glass ball, watching Merlin sleep. It amused her that such a powerful wizard was completely unaware that she was casting spells on him, simple woman's magic, but very effective it seemed. She had been able to dim the wizard's awareness and had been slowly leeching his strength away from him, even as he was teaching her his lore. She glanced over the cave to where Excalibur stood upright, sunk deeply into the stone once more as it had been until Arthur had managed to withdraw it. No other mortal would ever be able to remove the sword she knew and it pleased her that one of her treasures was now safely back in her possession. ------- Eoric woke to find himself shaking. An owl screeched as it swooped through the trees and he felt its alarm as he connected with it. He smiled to himself as he read in the owl's head that it had actually been his own cry that had frightened the bird. He turned his focus to his latest visions and pondered their importance. He had 'spoken' with Merlin and sensed that something was deeply troubling the wizard. Eoric also thought he had detected something not altogether wholesome within the wizard's mind, like some sickness was lodged there. He was annoyed that their conversation had been cut short, as he sensed Merlin had been about to share something important with him, something that might help to give him direction. The scene where the druid appeared to be trying to drug King Eochaid in some way, was very disturbing. As Eoric recalled the detail of it, he decided this was the more important of the two visions and the one he needed to address first. He didn't know what the powder was that the druid had laced the drink with. Neither did he know whether the scene was one from the present or the future. It was possible the drink could be poisonous however, and if there was still time to do something to stop the King from drinking it, then he had to try and do so. Eoric leapt to his feet and wrapped his plaid around him as he set out once more for Dunadd. It was a cloudless night, which meant it was very cold, but the resulting moonlight helped him pick out his path southwards. He was amazed at just how many creatures were out and about during the night. His connection with them helped inform him of what they were and that kept him happily occupied as he walked for mile after mile. He encountered several small herds of deer and numerous wildcats before he sensed a presence of a different kind. He was passing what he could tell was a shepherd's hut and was aware of the man within, but also something else. This was something that defeated his attempts to read its mind so he was unable to say for sure what it was. There was something vaguely familiar about it though. It definitely wasn't the sheep; he could connect with them easily enough and could tell that something was beginning to alarm them. "There are Bauchailleen at large." Eoric heard his inner voice speak to him and immediately a picture of what the Bauchailleen were appeared in his head. With this knowledge he was able to pinpoint exactly where the little spirits were and could see the mischievous looks on their faces. "We can deal with this easily. One of the main jobs of the Gruagach is to safeguard the herds from these brats. Here is what we need to do. Wait until they creep out into the field and then use your energy to freeze their feet to the soil. If you threaten to take their hats away they will promise to leave the sheep alone. It works for a couple of weeks and then they lose the fear and return to their pranks." Eoric laughed to himself at the manner in which the Bauchailleen had to be dealt with. He wondered whether the fear of losing their hats was a vanity thing or whether the hats were somehow more important to their existence. He focussed his attention and at last saw five of the little faeries creep out into the field. The sheep immediately began to get restless as they sensed their presence. He concentrated and began to direct the energy already present in the ground to move quickly and wrap itself around the feet of the Bauchailleen. There were yelps as they realised what was happening to them. They tried to leap backwards away from the energy surge, but already they were held fast. Eoric made his way towards them and took in their frightened expressions and their distinctive red caps. The caps looked almost like upside down flowers, delicate and distinctive. "What manner of man are you that can summon the energies of mother earth herself?" asked one of the Bauchailleen anxiously. "That is for me to know, little one. Now, I'm afraid I'm going to have to take your hats from you for daring to play your games with this herd of sheep," Eoric replied. This statement brought terrified groans and squeals from the Bauchailleen and one of them suddenly changed into a giant brown bear. The bear roared and swiped its claws in Eoric's direction, causing him to jump back in alarm. The sheep were by now running in a herd and throwing themselves at a stone wall at the end of their field, panic in their ranks. "They are shapeshifters, ignore it and it will return to its normal appearance," Eoric's inner voice told him. Eoric took the advice and advanced on the bear. As he got closer to it the shape shrunk until once more a smallish faery stood rooted to the spot in front of him. He reached out as if to remove the Bauchailleen's hat. The faery shied away from him and gave an almighty scream. "Noooo, noooo, please! Don't take our hats. We promise to be good from now on, we promise to be good!" The other faeries all nodded their heads in agreement at this promise of better behaviour and Eoric warned them he would be keeping an eye on them from now on. He 'unfroze' their feet and they scampered away as quickly as they could, holding onto their little red hats as they did so. Eoric realised he had wasted time dealing with the Bauchailleen and he turned his face to the south once more, breaking into a measured run. He found that he could maintain a steady pace without feeling any fatigue or getting out of breath. He wasn't able to measure how far he had travelled, but he had in fact covered fifteen miles in just over two hours before he sensed the twinkling of a stream and he veered to the side to take a drink. He realised how far he had come when he saw the shoreline at the very foot of Loch Awe in front of him. There were perhaps only another six or seven miles to the hill-fort at Dunadd and he debated with himself whether to carry on immediately. He finally decided that speed was of the essence so began running again, quickly falling into the same measured stride that seemed to be so effective at eating up the miles. ------- King Eochaid had called all of his lieutenants together so that he could issue his orders to begin raising Dalriada's fullest strength. "I want all of our able bodied men ready to strike at the Picts within the week," he said, "They must be taught a harsh lesson as to the cost of raiding in my lands!" "But Sire, we are already committed to a raid into the lands of the Ui Neill in Ireland, to relieve our kinsmen in Antrim. And what of the harvest? If we don't gather in the grain it will be a harsh winter," said one of his chieftains. "Dalriada comes first Domnall, we can send aid to Donachd once we have dealt with these Picts. If we are quick about it we should still be back at our hearths in time for the harvest I say!" replied the King. "As you wish, Sire," Domnall responded, turning to leave the hall and begin his task. "Gemma! Where are you girl, Gemma?" Eochaid called out. A young girl appeared at his side, her long copper hair hanging almost to her waist and her green eyes sparkling with intelligence. Her skin was fair, but covered in freckles and her nose had a slight upturn at the tip. She curtsied to her father. "You called me Sire?" "Aye lass, I need some food, have something brought to me here," he ordered. Eochaid turned as the head druid of the hill-fort touched his elbow and held out a goblet of ale. "Drink this Sire, you have been on the go for some hours. I recommend food and then some rest. The drink will help you sleep," the druid said. Gemma cast a glance at the druid, a look of suspicion on her face. The royal household were all confirmed Christians, but kept the druids around as they were still valuable because of their knowledge of plants and how they used that to treat ailments. Gemma did not trust them however, they seemed to her to always be creeping around on the edge of things, sticking their noses into everything. She wondered now at this apparent concern for the King's welfare on the part of this one, but shrugged it off as she headed for the kitchens. Eochaid simply nodded and sat at a table to wait for his food. Gemma had returned within minutes, followed by a serving girl bearing a large platter of steaming hot beef. The beef was set in front of the king and he immediately began to tear pieces off of the bone with a small dirk, washing the meat down with the goblet of ale. He noticed a faint sharpness to the drink, which he assumed was the sleeping draught that the druid had mentioned. The King had no sooner finished the meat than he felt his eyes growing heavy. It was all that he could do to push himself away from the table and stagger almost drunkenly to his sleeping chamber. Gemma followed behind him and watched as he collapsed onto the bed and began snoring immediately. She pulled some blankets over him and left the chamber quietly. ------- "Now is the time to strike Dalriada, Sire! Eochaid will soon be no more and their troops have yet to fully muster. Strike now and strike hard!" said the druid, his eyes wild with passion. "What trick is this druid? How do you know that Eochaid will soon be no more? What treachery is afoot here?" demanded King Beli. "I have received a message from the head of our Order, Sire. Eochaid has been struck down and even now may be dead. What troops he has raised are scattered, out looking for the Picts. His fullest strength has not yet been called for so Dalriada lies open to you, leaderless and ripe for the picking!" "Maric! Order the troops ready to ride, today we will have our revenge on the Epidii and Dalriada shall dance to Strathclyde's tune!" cried the King. Beli himself leapt to his feet and rushed to strap on his sword belt before leaving the room and running for the stables. Strathclyde had assembled fifteen hundred mounted men, a mighty host for the seventh century. Beli had gathered them around him on the pretence of going to Arthur's aid, but he had never set off and when Arthur had been killed he had held the men in readiness for just such an opportunity. "How do you want us split up, Sire?" Beli's lieutenant, Maric asked. "We ride together, all of us. We ride for Dunadd, the capital of Dalriada. It will be mine; none shall stand in my way. Come men of Strathclyde, to victory!" ------- It took Eoric less than an hour to cover the remaining miles to Dunadd. Dawn was just beginning to break when the hill-fort came into view and he slowed his run and began to focus more on his surroundings. He easily slipped past some sentries while still half a mile away from the fort itself and remembered what his inner voice had told him about his camouflage. His approach and entrance to Dunadd were ridiculously easy, but he remained very nervous as he climbed the narrow path that led to the top of the rocky outcrop. At one point the path passed through the very rock and he was dwarfed by stone on either side. Eoric emerged onto the topmost part of the fort and made his way cautiously towards the hall and other buildings situated there. He was aware of many people and a jumble of thoughts from them crowded his head. One thought pattern was more urgent than the others and he tried to focus in on it, shutting out the other noise. "Father, no, you cannot leave me, please!" He headed in the direction the thoughts were coming from, slipping past soldiers and servitors alike. His senses direction him through the main hall and towards a passage beyond. As he crept round the walls of the hall he became aware of another presence, this one different to the others. Eoric glanced across the hall to a man who was seated at a table. He wore a cloak with a hood that was drawn up over his head, hiding his features. Eoric tried to focus on the man's thought patterns, but found he was blocked. It was almost as if the man had a wall around his mind, forbidding entrance to him. "Someone help me, the King, the King is sick!" came a cry from the passage he had been heading towards. Eoric saw the hooded man's head rise, as if the cry had been a signal he had been waiting for. The man stood and Eoric could now see he was a druid. The druid glanced once more in the direction of the passageway and then hurried in the other direction. Eoric hesitated, unsure as to whether he should follow the druid or go forward to investigate the obvious distress of the female who had cried out. People were now running towards the passage, responding to the cry for help and he had to be very careful. While his camouflage seemed to make him invisible to their eyes, if they bumped into him they would surely be able to tell something was there. He managed to squeeze himself up against the wall of the passageway and made his way down it towards where a number of people were now gathered. He could hear the female voice crying out again. "Can none of you do anything for him?" she asked, plaintively. "We should send for the druids, Princess. They will know what to do," someone answered. "No! Can't you see this is the work of the druids? They have poisoned my father, I saw the druid put something in his ale. He claimed it was but a sleeping draught. No, I will not have them near the King. Can none of you help him?" she pleaded once more. "Eoric, we have the lore to treat the King, we can save him!" said his inner voice urgently. Eoric didn't pause to think, he pushed his way through the bodies and into the room. "I can help him, Princess," he said. As he spoke, it was clear that he became visible to all of the people in the room. Several gasped and one female servitor fainted away. Eoric gazed on the girl who had been crying for help for her father. She was clearly the girl from his vision, her copper hair if anything even more lustrous now that he could see it in real life, her eyes a sharper shade of green, her freckles more numerous. "What manner of sorcerer are you?" she cried. "I think I am King Eochaid's only hope Princess, so I suggest you accept me and let me do what I have to do. First of all, I think we need to get all these good people out of the room so the King can breathe," he said. The girl hesitated for a moment while she considered what he had said. It seemed she came to the conclusion that his words made sense, that there was no other help likely to appear for the King. Eoric tuned into her thought patterns and clearly heard her come to a decision. "He looks barely older than I am, but he's right. None of these others knows what to do. He claims to be able to help and I have to take this chance." "I don't know why, but I trust you. In any event, you're right. I have no other choice in this. Please save him," she whimpered. Eoric made his way over to the bed where Eochaid lay, vomit and some blood now sprayed over the blankets that he lay on. He glanced over his shoulder and saw that the girl was ushering everyone else out of the room. He focussed his attention on the King, reaching out to lay his palm on his forehead. "It is indeed poison, a mixture from a number of plants. He only has a few hours left and then he will be gone. We need to work fast, for the remedy will require you to find twelve different leaves and then brew them together. Hurry, we have no time to lose." Eoric turned to the girl. "I am Eoric. The cure for your father requires me to gather a number of plants. Bathe him with cool water until I return." Before the girl could even answer him he was off out of the door and running headlong through the hall. He brushed past the people that were still hanging around, anxious for their King's life. Down the path he sped, out of the hill-fort and into the surrounding countryside. He paused to try and determine which direction he should go. "Don't think about it, we will direct you. Just keep running as we need to be quick." Eoric spent the next hour or so rushing hither and thither, finding the leaves at exactly the places his inner voice said he would. When he had sufficient quantities of all twelve, he took a bearing on Dunadd and ran as fast as he could. He found a pot in the hall and began to shred the leaves into it, adding water and swinging it over the fire. The wait for the leaves to properly infuse the water was frustrating, but he knew he had no choice. Once he was sure it was ready, he poured some of the liquid into a beaker and made his way to the sleeping chamber. He found the girl still by her father's side, sponging his body with a damp cloth. The King's face had grown paler and his breathing was shallower. Eoric and the girl held Eochaid upright and managed to drip some of the infusion into his mouth. It was a painstakingly slow process, as drip after drip was carefully passed between his lips. At last the beaker was empty and they laid the King back down on the bed. "We can only hope now, I've done my best," Eoric said. "And for that I thank you," she said. "I'm sorry, Princess, I'm afraid I don't know your name," he apologised. "It's Gemma, and there's no need to apologise, why should you know who I am?" Gemma resumed bathing the King and the two talked to each other while they waited to see whether Eoric's cure would work. The youngsters got on remarkably well given, or perhaps because of, the circumstances. Gemma was obviously very worried and Eoric somehow managed to give her some of his strength. After several hours watching over Eochaid they could see some colour come back into his complexion and his breathing grew stronger. Eoric took advantage of the improvement and Gemma's reaction to it, to ask whether it would be possible to have something to eat. Gemma raised her hand to her mouth, embarrassed that she had neglected to look after him, despite what she was going through. They took turns napping and looking after the King. Eoric made a second infusion that night and they managed to get it into Eochaid and then let him rest once more. Gemma let Eoric sleep a little longer through the night, but was glad when he awoke and insisted she take her turn renewing her strength. Several hours later he shook her urgently. "Gemma, Gemma! Wake up. I sense a very large group of men approaching on horseback. That can't mean anything but trouble," he cried. "Wah?" "Gemma, listen to him, this must have been planned. You need to escape my Princess," Eochaid managed to whisper between cracked lips. "Father! I mean Sire. You have come back to me," Gemma said as she rushed over to hug him. Eoric ran from the room and out of the hall, standing on the summit of the hill-fort to gaze off into the distance. He could see the horsed men riding towards him and focussed on trying to read their thought patterns. "It's King Beli of Alt Clut, is he likely to be friend or foe?" he asked breathlessly as he ran back into the sleeping chamber. "Most definitely foe, our greatest enemy after the Picts and Saxons. In fact that would need to be a close call, Strathclyde might hate Dalriada more than the Picts and Saxons," said Gemma. "Well, there's about fifteen hundred of them no more than two miles away," Eoric said nervously. "Then we're all dead," rasped Eochaid. ------- Chapter 5 When Merlin awoke he felt strangely sluggish, almost as if he hadn't slept at all. He pulled himself from his bed and managed a brief wash using the stone basin of water in one corner of the cave. The cool water helped to waken him fully and he shuffled through to the main area of the ground floor of the cave. He tried to focus on what he had planned to do today, but found it difficult. There was something important that needed his attention, he knew it, but he couldn't quite remember what it was. Taking a seat, he fed more wood onto the remaining embers in his fireplace and watched somewhat vacantly as the flames began to fan. "Good morning, master. Are you going to be teaching me today?" Merlin recognised Nimue's voice and he shook himself to try and figure out whether that was what he was trying to remember. Was the important thing teaching Nimue more of his lore or was it something else? "Do not tax yourself so, Merlin. You know that my lesson today is the most important thing. I am on my way to you now." Once Nimue's voice disappeared, Merlin felt his tiredness lessen and an image of a boy appeared in his head. There was something important about the boy. He tried to focus on the image, letting his gaze sink into the dancing flames of the fire. A picture of the boy appeared to him. He was standing beside a young girl and Merlin identified King Eochaid of Dalriada lying on a bed in the room they were in. He sensed they were all worried about something and he was able to identify the imminent arrival of a large force of Britons from Strathclyde. Merlin realised that King Beli of Strathclyde had been dissembling when he had advised Arthur he was raising troops to support him. It seemed clear now that the men of Strathclyde had been merely waiting for an opportunity to attack and subdue Dalriada. He was aware of the enmity between the two tribes, going back to Aedan's harsh treatment of Strathclyde before his death, and knew that Eochaid and the boy were in grave danger. "Eoric, you must flee, avoid the men from Strathclyde if you possibly can. They mean to take and hold Dalriada for themselves and killing Eochaid and his family will be a key part of that." He stopped sending his message as he felt his strength seeping away. "Merlin, I hear you and I am aware of the danger. I'll do my best to get the King and his daughter to safety. There is something wrong with you; I can sense it, a sickness of the mind perhaps. Draw on my strength and renew yourself for I know I will need to rely on your advice and guidance in the days and weeks to come," Eoric responded. Merlin felt a jolt of power surge through his body and he felt better, stronger, than he had in days. Along with the strength came a dim awareness of a cloud within his own head. It was a fleeting glimpse of something that shouldn't be there and he tried to focus his attention on it, his increased power allowing him to control the direction of his thoughts better. "Master, what are you taxing yourself with now? I sense you are expending a great deal of energy on something. Is it what I am to learn today?" Nimue said as she entered Merlin's cave. Merlin immediately felt himself lose his connection to Eoric and the thread he had been trying to follow into his own thoughts was also severed. A feeling of lassitude washed over him and he asked himself why he was trying so hard to identify the shadow, how important could it be anyway? Nimue had caught a glimpse of the boy Merlin was connected with when she had entered the cave, but couldn't follow that thread because she realised Merlin was exploring that area of his mind that she had embedded her spells. It was imperative that he not uncover what she had done and she had to quickly address that by leeching his power to help re-inforce the mental blocks she had placed. She was very worried at this loss of control. Where had he gained the energy to do this? When she had last connected with him he was barely able to keep a conscious thought in his head. Something had happened to give him strength and the fact that she didn't know what that was concerned her. Nothing could interfere with her plans. Who was this boy? She sensed there was a connection there that needed to be identified. ------- Eoric sensed the presence of Merlin and listened to the warning the wizard was trying to pass on. He responded by assuring him that he knew what the dangers were. His connection allowed him to feel just how tired and run down Merlin was and he mentally tried to channel some of his energy down the thread between them to strengthen the old wizard. He also tried to explore the black spot in Merlin's mind that he had sensed previously. Before he could do so however, his connection was abruptly cut and he was left with a picture of a beautiful woman. She was dressed in some kind of wispy, diaphanous material that barely hid her womanly charms. Raven black hair framed a face that had high cheekbones and fine features, the deep blue eyes somehow disturbing. Eoric could see coral pink nipples topping two smallish breasts below her garment and he turned red as he felt his staff begin to stiffen at the image. At his age he had no sexual experience at all and he had sometimes dreamed of the female form, but this was the first time he had had that much detail to work with. His first glimpse of a woman's breasts and nipples and there was something alluring about the woman too. Gemma noticed Eoric's face turn red and couldn't miss the rise in the front of his kilt that signalled his excitement. As a Princess she was virginal, but she had listened to the maids and serving girls in the kitchens and she knew all there was to know about men she thought. She in turn now went red as she recognised what was going on and she assumed Eoric's excitement was down to her. After all, there was no one else other than her father in the room. The thought that she excited him in turn excited her and she felt a flutter in her lower stomach. Eoric shook himself, remembering what they now faced and focussed on his responsibility. He looked at Gemma and saw that her face was flushed for some reason. He looked at the King and realised he would need to carry him if they were to make their escape. "Princess, we need to leave before the men of Strathclyde get here. I'll carry your father, you lead the way to the stables," he said. Gemma was surprised out of her daydream by the sudden change in tone and atmosphere and she looked at Eoric as she too remembered the predicament they were in. "You can't possibly carry him, let me call for help," she said. "Princess, trust me, I can manage. Just lead the way," Eoric responded. He bent towards the bed and lifted the King effortlessly into his arms. Gemma raised her eyebrows in surprise, but then turned and began hurrying through the hall, out onto the hilltop and down the path towards the stables. She could see the dark mass of the approaching horsed men and that helped spur her on. Eoric was right behind her when she reached the rickety wooden structure that housed the horses. He took in the various horses available and began making his way towards the biggest of them. "No, Eoric. That is father's warhorse and he has been trained not to allow anyone other than the King to approach him. You need to pick another," Gemma warned. Eoric reached out and connected with the mighty beast, sensing the horse's agitation as he got closer to it. "Steady now my fine friend. Surely you are a noble beast and you need to calm yourself so we can spirit your master away from danger. Steady for me now I say." The horse responded immediately to Eoric's mental communication and he was able to help Gemma up onto its back and then lift Eochaid up in front of her. She was surprised at his ability to control the horse, but didn't raise the subject, as she knew time was of the essence. Eoric led the horse out of the stable and headed them westwards. He glanced at the approaching mounted host and could see a squadron of them split off and begin to head in their direction. He let the energy from the earth under his feet surge through his body and called out to Gemma. "Princess, you need to ride faster than you ever have before. Don't worry about me, just head for Crinan." Gemma started to protest, but she saw the determined look on his face and instead nodded to let Eoric know she understood. She knew that he was on foot and unlikely to escape their pursuers and that made her gulp, a tear coming to her eye. She dug her heels into the huge horse and pinched her knees against its flanks to urge it forward. Eoric slapped the horse on the rump and mentally urged it to fly faster than it had ever run before. He looked over his shoulder to gauge where the chasing pack had got to, groaning when he saw how close they were. He knew he would have to do something to delay them to allow Gemma time to get the warhorse up to its full speed. He felt sure the quality of the horse would outrun the men from Strathclyde once it was into its stride. His own safety didn't enter his head as he turned to face them. The band that had split to chase them was perhaps twenty strong and Eoric stood between them and the rapidly disappearing Gemma and Eochaid. He focussed on his connection with the earth and began to draw energy up from the soil. "You are not yet strong enough to fight them directly," said his inner voice, "You need to use a device to delay them so you can get away." "But what about the energy I used to form the copper, surely I'm strong enough to something similar to these men?" "That was one blast and against an inanimate object. These are people and there are twenty-one of them. You couldn't draw up enough energy, quickly enough, to deal with all of them. Believe us, you need to develop your abilities more first." Eoric accepted the advice from his inner voice and he raised his sword in both hands above his head, focussing on the energy that was welling up within him. Gemma looked back and her heart leapt at the sight of Eoric, looking pitifully small in the face of the thundering horses, holding his sword above his head. Despite what he had told her, she tried to slow her horse. The horse was having none of it however, and he continued to surge forward. Eoric concentrated the energy he had soaked up and began to draw up all the moisture from the area for perhaps two miles around. He felt the earth and water work with him as it rose up from below the surface, pooling quickly and mixing with the soil to create a boggy, marshy surface. He could see the Strathclyde horsemen immediately get into trouble as their horses began to lose their footing. He didn't wait around to see how they coped with his conjured obstacle, but turned and began to run after Gemma and Eochaid. He let his subconscious remain connected to the earth as he ran, maintaining a steady flow of energy into his legs and felt his pace gather. He was surprised to see he was gaining on Gemma with every stride and realised just how fast he must be running. Gemma had continued to glance over her shoulder and almost cheered out loud when she saw the enemy horsemen get into trouble. When she next looked she was shocked to see Eoric running towards her and catching up with the horse. How could he run at that pace? Eoric came alongside and smiled reassuringly at her, settling into a pace that kept him beside the horse. He didn't tire and neither did the horse as they raced onwards to Crinan. Eochaid was conscious and he looked sideways in amazement at the stamina and pace of the young man who had engineered his escape from King Beli. When they arrived at the harbour of Crinan, Eoric became less sure of himself. He didn't know what to do now and he looked at Gemma and Eochaid for some kind of guidance. "We need to take ship and head to Antrim," Eochaid managed to get out, "Donachd will help us. Everything here will be scattered and we need to raise a force of sufficient size to challenge Beli and his scum." The effort of getting this out seemed to exhaust the King and he lapsed into silence once more. Eoric went forward to find a captain and explain what the King wanted. Eochaid had been recognised and several captains volunteered to make the passage to Ireland. It took only a few minutes for Eoric to carry Eochaid on board a smallish boat and then return to help Gemma. Once he had her on the boat he returned to the horse. "You performed magnificently my friend. Go you into the fields and remain free until I call for you again." The horse reared up on its hind legs and let out a whinny before racing away from the port, its mane flying behind it. ------- Nimue acted subservient to Merlin, but all the time she was casting her spells to keep him unaware that she was slowly draining his lore and power from him. The wizard indeed was enjoying her company and felt a sense of pride in his apprentice's development, oblivious to how she was sucking him dry. She maintained the illusion that she was practising the low-level spells he was teaching her, concealing the fact that she had progressed far beyond them already. "Who is the boy you are teaching, master?" she asked, her voice syrupy and beguiling. It was perhaps a measure of just how much under her spell that Merlin was that he began to answer before he realised there was anything wrong in doing so. "Oh, he's just an apprentice..." Merlin stopped himself and looked at Nimue. She was smiling encouragingly at him, nodding her head as if to get him to continue with what he was saying. "An apprentice what, master?" she asked softly. Merlin's face screwed up with concentration and Nimue realised she was going too far too fast. She immediately backed off and returned the conversation to the spell that she was practising. "I will get to the bottom of this eventually, but I need to take my time and be careful," she thought to herself. ------- Once they had Eochaid comfortable and the boat had slipped out to sea and to safety, Gemma rushed to hug Eoric, hanging onto him tightly as she let her bottled up fear come pouring out. She could see no further than the fact that it had been his actions that had first of all saved her father and then saved them all from the Britons of Strathclyde. Her view of him was rapidly becoming hero worship. He was initially at a loss as to what to do with a Princess in his arms, but eventually he let his arms go round her and he returned the hug. He looked over her shoulder and saw the King smiling weakly. He took that as encouragement and let his hands rub up and down Gemma's back. Eoric had never held a woman in his arms before and what a desirable young woman Gemma was. He knew she was looking for comfort, for reassurance, but his mind was focussed on the fact that he was holding a highly desirable female. Mentally he willed his staff not to react, but he was fighting a losing battle. Gemma felt Eoric's hands on her back, rubbing her through her blouse, creating a nice feeling. As she allowed herself to mould her body to his, she felt something begin to poke her in her stomach and blushed again as she realised what it must be. Eoric's embarrassment became too much and he pushed Gemma away, turning to hide his arousal from her. The young girl was momentarily confused by the rough way he had thrust her away from him, but them smiled to herself as she realised what the problem was. She decided to give Eoric some space and sat beside her father to tend to him as the wind filled the sail and took them further out to sea. Eoric stood in the prow of the boat as it made its way past the tip of the Isle of Jura, past the Isle of Scarba, and beat up the Sound of Luing. His head was swimming. Quite apart from the stress of saving the King and evading the Britons, he had the vision of his first pair of woman's breasts and his first embrace from a female to think about. The grandeur of the island scenery was lost on him as he tried to get himself under control. Gemma was a Princess after all and he shouldn't be thinking about her the way he was. And the other woman was a stranger, a stranger with a hint of menace he remembered now. "The girl likes you," said his inner voice. "Nonsense, she is a Princess and not for the likes of me. She but needs reassurance and comfort given all that she's been through in the last day or so." "Be that as it may, she still likes you and her father didn't seem to be objecting if you ask us!" The captain steered the boat past the Garvellachs and paralleled the coast of the Isle of Mull as he headed directly westwards now. Gemma looked at her father and could see that he was very tired. Her concern increased and she called to Eoric to ask his opinion of how to treat Eochaid now. Eoric looked closely at the King and his inner voice confirmed what he thought. The King should not really be travelling in his present state. What he needed was rest and an opportunity to regain his full strength. Eoric held the King's hand and let some of his own energy bleed across the connection into Eochaid. "I don't think we should attempt the crossing to Ireland," Eoric said, "Is there somewhere closer we can let the King recuperate properly?" "Ì Chaluim Cille, Columba's Isle of Iona, is not too far away. There is a monastery there that my family has supported for many years. Perhaps we could call in there until my father has recovered sufficiently to make the voyage?" Gemma asked. Eoric agreed with this and directed the captain to make for this 'Columba's isle'. It wasn't too long before the captain turned the boat in towards a land mass and Eoric stared as the blinding white sands of the Isle came closer. He could feel something special about this place. Ever since he had 'changed' by absorbing the faeries, he had been thrilled by the connection to nature that he had. Now there was something more, a vast reservoir of energy and a deep feeling of peace. He let the feelings wash over him as the boat ran in towards the beach. Some of the monks on the island came out to meet the boat and there were plenty of willing hands to carry Eochaid ashore and on towards a cashel. Eoric and Gemma came ashore too, met by the Abbot of the monastery. They explained the circumstances surrounding the King's condition and the Abbot assured them the order would do everything they could to help their benefactor. The fact that Eochaid's father had been friendly with Columba himself meant a lot to the inhabitants of Iona. They were shown to separate cells close to where Eochaid had been taken and Eoric set about brewing some more of his remedy for the King. Gemma left him to it and went to freshen herself up. Eoric was encouraged when Eochaid was able to push himself up to sip the infusion from a beaker. The King managed to drink it all before slumping back on the pallet he was lying on. "My thanks for what you have done for my daughter and me, my friend," the King managed to get out. "It was nothing. Now you must rest Sire. We need to get you back on your feet before we can carry on to Ireland," Eoric replied. He turned and left the cashel, crossing the grass towards the structure that housed the cells he and Gemma had been given. He didn't realise that his ability to become camouflaged had kicked in again now that things had calmed down around him. He made his way to Gemma's cell to give her an update on her father, but as he pulled back the hanging that covered the cell he stopped dead. His breathing caught in his throat and his heartbeat increased dramatically. The heavy drape fell back from his suddenly nerveless fingers and covered the doorway as he stared at the vision in front of him. Gemma had stripped off all her clothes and was sponging her body clean. He stared at her high breasts with their small dark nipples and the sparse patch of ginger hair at the juncture of her thighs. Her skin was pale, her neck and throat like a pillar of ivory. Nothing could compare to this beauty he thought and he gasped as he realised he had stopped breathing for some minutes. Gemma's head whipped round at the sound, but she couldn't see anything. A frown creased her brow as she tried to work out where the noise had come from and then she turned, smiling to herself as she thought about Eoric's ability to become all but invisible. She couldn't be sure, but the idea that he might be in the room, looking at her naked features even now, excited her beyond belief. She was surprised at herself for being so brazen. Surely she should be shocked and outraged? But she wasn't, she was aroused and she liked the idea of her recently discovered hero taking pleasure in looking at her body. Eoric couldn't take his eyes off of her; despite the guilt that began to rise within him as he realised Gemma couldn't see him. Once more he felt himself rise in a physical demonstration of his appreciation of her beauty. He couldn't stop himself from stepping forward and reaching out to stroke her smooth skin. His fingers trembled as they neared her perfect breast. ------- Chapter 6 "Gods, what am I doing?" Eoric asked himself. He pulled his hand back from Gemma and backed away from her. He had been about to do something unthinkable and the very fact he was in her room, spying on her naked beauty, now made him feel extremely guilty. He waited for her to turn round and then quickly pulled back the drape and left her cell. Gemma caught the movement of the drape and had her confirmation that Eoric had been in the room looking at her. That knowledge made her hot and she felt her sex throb as she finished sponging herself and lay down on the pallet. She felt the need to touch herself and when she let her hand slip between her thighs she felt the oily juice that was leaking from her little slit. She had been thinking about sex and men more and more lately. All the talk amongst the girls in the kitchen had made her extremely curious. Eoric made his way to his own cell and lay down, chastising himself for his actions in invading Gemma's privacy and violating her in the way he had. Despite his guilt, his next action could have been considered another such violation if he had paused to consider it. He reached out to try and connect with the girl and was surprised by what he found. Her thoughts made his face go red and his staff sprang to hardness in an instant. "Oh, he was here, watching me. Looking at my nakedness. I wonder if his staff was hard again, I wonder what it looks like, how it would feel in my hand? Ummm, does he want to put in here; was he thinking about my little tunnel? Ahhh, was he staring at my titties? Was he thinking about pushing his hard staff into this slippery little slit? Oh, I think I want him to, I know it's bad of me, but I want to feel his cock, I want to feel his weight lying on me as he pushes his hardness deep inside me. "Would he do what the kitchen maids talked about, would he use his mouth and tongue on me down here? Uh, uh, yeeessss Eoric, please lick me, please!" Eoric broke the connection as Gemma's arousal levels rose to dizzying heights. Without conscious thought he had begun fisting his staff as he had been connected with her and he felt his climax wash over him and his hot seed erupted, shot after shot landing on his chest and then his belly as the force weakened. His breathing was coming in gasps and he found his staff had not softened one little bit. Reaching over, he grabbed a rag and wiped himself off then stood and began to pace up and down. The sound of Gemma's voice continued to ring in his head, what she had been thinking of keeping his cock hard as a rock. She had known he was in the room, had known and hadn't screamed. Indeed from what he had heard she had been excited by his presence and was using that even now to pleasure herself. He tried to think of something else, anything else so that his staff would soften and he could leave his cell. He turned his thoughts to what he would find in Ireland. He had never travelled outside of Dalriada so this trip was a big adventure for him and from what he had heard so far, there was fighting going on in Ireland too. At last he was able to put on his kilt without it tenting at the front and he wandered outside to explore the monastery and its surroundings. The monks were completely oblivious to his presence and he began to find this a nuisance. "Is there any way of turning this camouflage ability off?" he asked his inner voice, feeling somewhat foolish as he did so. "Of course there is. Just focus on it being off and it will be." It was surprisingly easy and being visible allowed Eoric to interact with the monks far more easily. They were eager to hear news of what transpired on the mainland and frowned when they learned of Arthur's death, the rise of the Picts and the attack on Dalriada by the men of Strathclyde. Arthur had been a favourite amongst them and they mourned his passing. Eoric managed to keep himself occupied for the next few days so that he didn't have to spend too much time with Gemma. He didn't trust himself to be able to school his features enough to conceal what he had overheard her doing. He was further embarrassed that he had been fisting himself as he recalled her body and her thoughts, the memories arousing him until he couldn't control himself and needed to get relief. One of the things he did was get hold of one of the monastery's little boats and he rowed it out into the bay and then used his abilities to attract fish after fish to come to him. The monks were amazed at his fishing prowess when he returned, the boat sitting low in the water with the load it carried. He didn't share with him how he managed to catch so many, but instead left them to sing his praises as a master fisherman. He tried to pick his moments to visit the King to see how he was progressing, turning on his camouflage and waiting for Gemma to leave the cashel before he then entered. On each occasion he visited, he took the opportunity to boost Eochaid's energy with some of his own, speeding his recovery enormously. During these visits Eoric discussed Eochaid's plans with him and tried to find out as much as he could about the lands they were about to sail to. The King explained that Antrim had always been a drain on Dalriada's manpower, as there was a constant battle with the clans and tribes of the Ui Neill. This had steadily worsened and Eochaid had seriously considered cutting the lands off from the rest of his Kingdom, but loyalty to his people there had stopped him. His plan now was to sue for a treaty of some kind with the Ui Neill to give him a pause within which to deal with the twin threats from Strathclyde and the Picts. He admitted he wasn't in a strong position to win such a treaty, but he hoped to be able to use words rather than the sword. Towards the end of a week on Iona, Eoric's careful plans to avoid Gemma were foiled. He had watched her leave Eochaid's cashel as usual before creeping forward himself. But Gemma returned unexpectedly to ask her father a question and found Eoric in the room with Eochaid. "Hah, Eoric! I had almost come to believe that you had left the island as I have seen neither hide nor hair of you for nigh on a week," she said as she entered the room. "Erm, I've been busy Princess, helping the monks to catch fish and the like," he replied, not meeting Gemma's eyes. "It almost seems as if you have been trying to avoid me," she said, "You're not are you?" "Of course not princess, why would I do that?" "Good, because I'm going insane with boredom and need some company," she said, "come and get me once you're finished here and you can show me round the island." Gemma left the cashel, a wide smile on her face. She had pleasured herself every day to the thoughts of Eoric watching her and her fantasy of him actually doing sexual things to her. She was becoming obsessed with him, he was after all her hero and it stood to reason that if he was a hero in terms of saving her father and escaping King Beli, then he would be a hero in the bedchamber too. She rushed back to her room to have her now daily fix while Eoric was occupied with her father. "She's telling the truth, she has missed your company in the last few days. I can do without you today, go to her and cheer her up a bit," said Eochaid. Eoric decided he was simply putting off the inevitable and he might as well get it over and done with. He needed to face Gemma and carry on as if nothing had happened; he could do that he told himself. Eoric made his way to Gemma's cell and pulled the drape aside so he could enter. He saw her lying on her back with her knees bent, her dainty feet planted on the pallet. Her eyes were screwed shut as she concentrated on what she was doing. He had little time to think of right and wrong when faced with this sight and he quickly focussed on engaging his camouflage before stepping into the room and letting the drape fall back to cover the doorway. He didn't need to connect with Gemma this time to hear what she was thinking because she was moaning out loud. He could see the pink slit of her sex between her open legs and he was fascinated by the way she was rubbing at a spot at the top of it with her finger. "Umm, yes Eoric, yes lick my little button, lick it for me, yessss," she moaned. Eoric could hear a squelching noise as her finger dipped between the lips of her sex and gathered up moisture that she then applied to what she had called her button. "Ahhhh, yes, yes, right there, mmmmmmmm." Eoric was hard once more as he watched the amazing sight of the beautiful girl rubbing herself, her head flicking from side to side. "Uh, uh, oh your tongue feels so good Eoric, soooo good, yes, yes." He had been drawn closer to the bed, closer to where her fingers were working. His senses were heightened and his nose was filled with her scent. Eoric paused once as he considered the gap between her station and his. It had been his resistance to accept the natural order of his station that had led to his being cast out by the villagers, but a thought entered his head. "It's the dream afraid of waking that never takes a chance," he thought. Her aroused scent overcame him and he lost all reason, kneeling on the floor and pressing his face between her open thighs. He pushed her fingers away with his nose and as his tongue came out. He tasted her, tasted a woman's essence for the first time. Gemma had heard the drape moving and suspected that Eoric had come into the room. Her excitement grew tenfold as she proceeded to put on a show for him, speaking out loud what she wanted him to do. When she felt his breath on the inside of her thigh and then his face pushing her fingers aside, she thought she was going to explode. Eoric's tongue pushed its way through the folds of her sex and she shook as she felt him lick her juices. Her hands went to his head and she let her fingers run through his hair, gripping it and trying to direct his tongue with subtle tugs. She managed to pull him upwards and felt his tongue slip up the crease of her nether lips and lash over her clitoris. Her hips bucked as she felt him lick her there for the first time and her fingers tightened in his hair, holding him in place at that spot. He felt her buck and then pull urgently on his hair. "I must be doing something right," he thought to himself with a grin." His first taste of her juices had been strange, tart and musky, but he decided he liked it. Her greatest reaction had come when his tongue had swiped over a fleshy bump at the top of her pink slit and he realised this was the 'button' she had been referring to. Eoric decided he needed to give her button some special attention and he began to circle it with his tongue, over and over. Her response was immediate and told him he was on the right track. "Yes, Eoric, yes. There, right there my love. Mmmmmmm, yeesssssssssss!" Her vocal encouragement was all he needed to keep him working at the little bump; sucking it gently between his lips and letting the tip of his tongue run over it. When he awkwardly grazed it with his teeth her bottom thrust up off of the pallet and she squealed loudly. "Aaaaiiiiieeeee, Eoric, aaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Gemma's hips continued to give little thrusts upwards as her climax threatened to overwhelm her. She had climaxed under her own fingers every day that week, but it had been nothing like what she was experiencing now. The tingling that swept across all of her nerve endings was as intense a sensation as she ever hoped to feel. Eoric calmed his licking and sucking a little as he felt Gemma almost convulse under him. He let his tongue drop to the mysterious folds of her sex once more and lapped up the copious juices that were leaking from her. Once more her quiet moans told him he was doing the right thing and he let her relax back onto the pallet as he ran his hands gently up and down the incredibly smooth skin of her inner thighs. When her moans had quietened a little and the grip on his hair relaxed he returned his attention to her button, building the intensity up gradually. Gemma's legs closed on either side of his head, trapping him in place as he dropped lower, thrusting his tongue between her lips, trying to get it into her channel. "Go easy on me my love, I'm not sure how much more I can take," she moaned. Having taken the irrevocable step of touching her at all, Eoric was determined that he would make this occasion memorable for her. He sensed a fleshy barrier blocking his tongue from entering her passage and he turned his attention instead back to her bump. He caressed her clit lovingly, using long strokes and barely grazing the sensitive flesh. Eoric began working his tongue, lips and teeth around her sensitive nubbin once more, exhilarated by her reaction to what he was doing. "Yesssss, Eoric, yeeesssss, lick me, lick me my darling," she squealed. He used the fingers of one hand to spread her lower lips and fully expose the entrance to her most sacred place and her little button. He stared at her reverently for a few seconds before dipping his head to begin worshipping her physically once more. It didn't take long before the inexperienced Gemma was once more in the throes of orgasm and she pleaded with Eoric to give her some respite. When she had managed to recover herself enough to regain the power of reason and thought, she demanded that Eoric make himself visible. "Show yourself now my love, it is time for me to ensure that you receive equal measure," she said in a husky voice. "No, Princess. This was all for you and you shouldn't feel the need to do anything in return," he said. "Dolt! I feel no such need to reciprocate; I want to bring you pleasure. Bringing you pleasure would also give me pleasure I think and anyway, I am curious about what you look like, what you feel like." "There will be time enough for that if you still feel that way later, Princess. For now let us be content with this and protect what you have left of your chastity," he said. "Chastity? You expect me to be chaste with you after this? I fear you have much to learn about women, Eoric. I have made my mind up and I will have my way, no matter how long it takes to make you see that I'm right. Don't put me on a pedestal, my love. It is I who see you as a hero - you saved my father when he was at death's door, you managed to get us away from the men of Strathclyde and you have demonstrated your ability to think quickly and act. No, my love, it is my right and choice to make you feel as you have just made me feel and I will not be denied." Gemma didn't press him over the next few days, being content to accept his demonstrations of his devotion to her, but inside herself her determination to make Eoric her own was fast taking root. Eoric was like a lovesick puppy. He hadn't missed Gemma's use of 'my love' and 'darling' when she had spoken to him and despite the gap in their social status, he was head over heels in love with her. The pair were the subject of much conversation amongst the monks who saw them as a perfect match. Their zest for life and obvious devotion to each other made them welcome visitors all over the island. The next few days were days when they were completely lost in each other, a time when the bond between them was growing stronger. ------- Chapter 7 Eoric sat on the white sands, looking out to sea as he simply contemplated how much his life had changed in the past days and weeks. His talks with Eochaid had broadened his understanding of the political and religious context for his life. As trade expanded so did horizons he thought, lifting the gaze of the individual and bringing new relationships, new alliances. He understood that humans were fundamentally social animals with a need to have other humans around them. That was in all likelihood the basis for the tribe and clan structure he was used to and there were good reasons for it. Survival chances were increased within the clan, as skills were pooled and tasks shared - more could be done, more food produced. A clan also brought greater security from others that might want to take whatever you had of value - be that food, livestock or even womenfolk. The ability to seize land and hold it against others allowed a clan to grow crops, hunt and raise domesticated live stock. And what was it that held the clan together? They had loyalty to the clan leader, a sense of identity within the clan and in most cases a pride in belonging to the clan. Eoric could see the importance of these common reference points and how they acted to bind people together. As horizons lifted and the clan was exposed to more and more so the need to establish groupings based on common interests was scaled up he thought. As clans looked at new commodities and traded for them, as the clan grew more prosperous, so alliances were formed to create a much larger clan, loosely based to be sure, but with many of the same principles underpinning the association. One of these common reference points was undoubtedly religion and he could see how the spread of Christianity was already acting to bind disparate groups together. Arthur's vision became far clearer to Eoric now. From talking to Eochaid he had realised that the greatest threat to the Celtic people throughout Britain came from the Anglo-Saxons and the Picts. Yet the Celts continued to fight against each other, coveting each other's goods and possessions while the real threat grew ever more powerful. He knew that the Saxons in Bernicia were expanding their borders and Eochaid's father's battles against them now made much more sense. The Picts seemed to be simple savages and attacked out of sheer blood lust, but the Saxons played an altogether different game. Their expansion and war-like nature stemmed from a policy of consolidation. If they could stamp out the opposing cultures and clans then they would have all of the land to grow into. That in turn would increase their power and wealth, give them room to increase and support their numbers, which would improve their security. Uniting the Celtic clans - the Britons, the Cornishmen, the Welsh and the Gaels - was perhaps the only way to save all of the Celtic lands from being swallowed up by the Anglo-Saxons. Arthur had seen that and had made his gallant effort at bringing it about. Ultimately it looked as if he had failed and Eoric could not see another leader with the charisma and strength to take up Arthur's mantle. The position in Ireland was a case in point. Eochaid had explained how his strength in manpower in Dalriada had been drained through the need to continually send troops to defend Antrim against the Celtic clans of the Ui Neill. At the same time, Dalriada was under more threat from the Picts. Worse, another clan of Celts, those from Strathclyde, were weakening Dalriada further and all the time the Saxons in Bernicia grew more numerous and more powerful. With his newfound awareness of the wider context, he now wondered about the poisoning of King Eochaid by the druid. Was that a random act of an individual with a personal grievance or part of a bigger agenda? Was he just becoming paranoid? He shook his head to try and shake off these weighty thoughts and tried to soak up the simple joy of the setting he was in. His new status allowed him to 'feel' the sea and the creatures in it, 'feel' the wind under the wings of the Gulls and the Cormorants that swooped and dived for fish. He was connected to the sands and the rock. It was an altogether pleasant feeling to be so in tune with nature he decided. His relationship with Gemma was an aspect of his life that brought both extreme pleasure, but also pain, as he didn't think there was any hope for them to be together. He was determined to enjoy it while he could. An image of Merlin appeared in his head and he frowned as he realised it had been over a week since he had last connected with the wizard. That last connection had been cut abruptly and he was concerned at the cloud that seemed to occupy part of Merlin's mind. It had an unwholesome feel to it; cankerous even and he couldn't help but believe it was somehow attacking the wizard's ability to think properly. Eoric concentrated and tried to link with Merlin. He let his awareness expand outwards, felt it flash over the sea and the islands to the mainland as it searched for the familiar thought patterns of the wizard. Just as he was about to give up he detected a faint stirring and he focussed himself, locking on to it before it could disappear. What Eoric found appalled him. The wizard's mind was almost completely taken up by the black sticky presence. Its make-up became clear to him now that it had grown and was more tangible to his thoughts. Eoric could see that this was a series of mental traps and bonds, put in place by someone or something to control Merlin's thinking. How that had been achieved without the wizard being aware was beyond him, but the implications were that a powerful entity was at large and had targeted Merlin. He tried to mentally remove the traps and found them to have the consistency of very strong spider's webs. They clung and cloyed at his senses and he had to direct more energy down the thread that connected him to the wizard to stop himself being trapped. As he gradually built up the energy he was relieved to sense the traps begin to break down and he began to methodically sweep through them, feeling Merlin's thought patterns growing stronger as he did so. "Stop! Who are you and what do you think you are doing destroying all my hard work?" Eoric flinched and his connection to Merlin was severed. He lay back, rubbing his temples, which were throbbing from the effort he had expended. He had caught a glimpse of the person behind the voice that had challenged him. It had been the same beautiful woman who had appeared in a previous connection to Merlin. Eoric didn't know who she was, but it was clear she was behind the mental attack on the wizard and he feared that she was being successful. He didn't know why, but he sensed Merlin was important to him in some way and he increasingly felt the need to try and protect him. ------- Merlin became increasingly aware that he was connected to the apprentice blacksmith once more. He could feel the boy working inside his head on something and as Eoric's energy increased and some of the mental webs collapsed, Merlin was able at last to see what had been going on. He was appalled at his lapse. How could he have allowed this to happen to him? He was able to sweep through his own mind now and could see that his awareness had been blocked, blocked effectively not with powerful magic, but with what were basic woman's spells. The spells were the kind of thing that were sold to the ordinary folk - spells for love, spells for happiness - but somehow they had been adapted and made more effective for another purpose. When the Lady of the Loch, Nimue challenged what Eoric was doing, Merlin became aware of her immediately and he knew he had found the culprit. The very one he had been training in his lore had been silently attacking him. His anger began to rise and, as Eoric's connection was cut, he swept the remaining mind traps away himself using his own abilities. Once the last of the cloying webs had been cut from his mind, Merlin felt a renewed sense of energy and purpose. He was able to trace back to the point where Nimue had first planted her spells and could see how utterly clueless and inept he had been. She had diverted his attention by displaying her charms for him and he had fallen for one of the oldest tricks in the book of spells - a woman's wiles. "Nimue! You are discovered and I will have to deal with you. Why have you deemed it necessary to attack me in this way? Who are you working for?" "Do not take me for a fool, Merlin. I know that you were only going to teach me your low-level lore. After all, I'm only a woman and not fit to be entrusted with your greatest secrets. Well that's not good enough! I wanted it all and now I have leeched most of it from you while you sat drooling in your chair like a simpleton." "Nimue, Nimue. How wrong you are. Is that how little you've come to know me after all the time we have spent together? Always it was my intention to impart all of my gifts to you. I believed I had found a worthy successor and want nothing more than to withdraw from this world. A world without Arthur and his bold vision is no world at all. But enough. I would have given it all to you freely. Now that your treachery has been exposed I realise you are not fit to be in possession of such power. I'm coming for you Nimue. I'm coming!" ------- Three or four more days of walking, eating and receiving daily infusions of energy from Eoric had Eochaid declaring that he was ready to complete the passage to Antrim. He was amused at how Eoric and Gemma acted around each other and suspected what the cause of it was. It was common to use marriage as a way of cementing alliances and friendships, of building or expanding a Kingdom's power base and he might have expected his daughter to be married off in that way. However, he could see the love they had for each other radiating from them like a tangible thing and it wasn't in his heart to take that away from them. His daughter had been good to him over the years and he wanted her to be happy. Eoric had already demonstrated his abilities in many ways. He had reversed the poison administered by the druid and then shown himself able to get them away from the attacking King Beli. Even while here on Iona he had shown his ability to provide food aplenty and the talks they had had nearly every day had shown Eochaid that the boy had a nimble mind and intelligence far beyond a mere blacksmith. Eochaid said nothing to the youngsters, simply allowed them to share their feelings without interruption. The tenderness of it all almost brought a tear to his eye and he wondered about his own life mates, a little jealous that he had never had a love match like this. Both of his wives had been arranged marriages and both ended when the wives succumbed to fever and illness. No, his was not a happy record of marriage. He fervently hoped his daughter would do much better. The ship's captain was eager to set off too. A week and a half anchored at Iona, while pleasant, was not what that man was cut out for. The prospect of putting to sea once more cheered him up and he reported that the ship was ready to up anchor at a moments notice. Eochaid, Eoric and Gemma took their leave of the Abbot and his monks, thanking them for their kind hospitality. The Abbot would hear none of it, proclaiming Eoric's ability to provide food for the monastery payment beyond measure. They had salted fish and stored enough to see them almost through the winter he declared. Eoric smiled and his chest puffed out a little more at the fulsome praise. The ship set out on the morning of their eleventh day on Iona, the Abbot and the monks coming down to the bay to wave them off. The captain headed almost due south for the coast of Ireland and told them that if the winds stayed favourable, they should make landfall in three of four days. The journey was a delight for Eoric and Gemma as they remained close together, sitting in the prow and exclaiming at the scenery the islands and the sea conjured up. They laughed at the antics of the birds that followed them and of the seals that kept pace with the ship at times. Eoric continued to amaze them all with his prowess at catching fish and these were cooked over a small brazier on the ship. On the afternoon of the third day they sighted land, a more substantial landmass than any of the many islands they had passed in the last few days. The captain explained that he would need to wait for the tide in order to sail directly down the North Channel, passed Reachlainn (modern day Rathlin Island) and on to Gleann Airimh (modern day Glen Ariff). As the ship rose and fell on the sea swell, Eoric felt a connection seeking him out. He was cautious and explored the thought pattern before allowing the connection when he sensed it was Merlin trying to contact him. "It seems I owe you my thanks young Eoric. I must be getting too old for this world if I can allow even the most simple of spells to confound me so easily. But thanks to you my young friend I have thrown off the web that kept my eyes dim... Eoric, what has happened to you? I sense great changes have taken place within you since last we were connected." "I'm glad you are fully recovered, Merlin. I was concerned for you, but tried to do my best with the traps that she had set. Who is she? She appeared very beautiful, but must have a black heart." "Don't concern yourself with her my young friend, that is business that I need to attend to. I am interested in what has happened to you. I sense greater understanding within you, Eoric, an understanding so strong I had not thought it would be possible to see its like again in my lifetime." Eoric was puzzled by what Merlin was talking about. So far as he knew, the only changes that had come over him since he had last 'talked' with Merlin had been his experiences with Gemma. That caused him to blush as he realised the wizard would in all probability have access to his thoughts on that matter. "No, simpleton! I am not referring to your feelings for the Princess Gemma. I mean your understanding of the need for the Celts to unite. Where has that knowledge and desire come from?" Again Eoric was surprised. Until Merlin had voiced the fact that he desired the Celts to unite he hadn't consciously come to that conclusion himself. Only a week or so before he had been content that Eochaid would focus simply on defending Dalriada, but he realised now that his views had indeed changed. He genuinely believed that the Saxons posed the greater threat and only a course of uniting against them would really see the Celts survive. "I have come to see that Bernicia is the greatest threat to the Celts Merlin. The Picts we can deal with I think, but the Saxons are growing and there will come a time of reckoning for all the Celtic people. It may be that they try to pick us off one by one so we need to stick together, now more than ever. My talks with Eochaid explained much to me." Merlin was impressed by the boy's intelligence. If he had really come to these conclusions through his own reasoning then he was no ordinary apprentice blacksmith. "I feel our paths are destined to cross young Eoric. You have re-ignited hope and belief in an old man this day. I hope your trip to Antrim proves successful and that you return to our shores soon. Look after yourself and look after your girl too!" Eoric smiled as he felt the thread connecting them sever. Merlin had just confirmed that there was some reason for his connection with him, just as he had suspected. He wondered anew at the identity of the beautiful woman who Merlin was now apparently going to deal with. "Wake up sleepy head," said Gemma as she caught Eoric daydreaming. "I'm sorry Princess, I was lost in your beauty, quite overcome with your many charms," he responded quickly. Gemma punched him lightly on the arm, but her face creased into a huge smile at his compliments. She nestled into his side, bringing his arm around her so she could feel him close. "When are you going to stop calling me Princess, Eoric?" she asked. "Never, my Princess. Always you will be that, my Princess, my beautiful Princess. Created by the hands of the gods themselves, perfect in all respects - from your copper hair, to your ivory skin and emerald eyes. And best of all, the cutest nose ever to grace a maiden's face." Unfortunately, the reference to her nose spoiled his romantic outpouring and she realised he was teasing her. She tried to tickle him and he squirmed away. "Oh you shall pay for that, pay dearly master Eoric!" she cried as she chased him across the deck. Eochaid watched the young couple and smiled again. He realised he had thought of them as a couple and the term fit them perfectly. He decided he would need to have words with Eoric to ensure his intentions were in line with his own growing expectations. It seemed likely that Donachd had posted lookouts because as they neared the beach he himself was there to meet and greet them. Spare horses were provided and the little party rode from Glen Ariff Southwest for An Baile Meánach (modern day Ballymena). They had to skirt the Antrim Hills and Eoric soaked up the beauty of the Irish countryside and the energy the ancient peaks represented in his new elemental world. The journey called for one stopover and they were housed in a small monastery, getting up early in the morning with the monks and resuming their ride. They arrived at Ballymena in the mid afternoon, finding quite a large and heavily fortified town. It was from here that Donachd directed all of his efforts against the Ui Neill, a most difficult job he informed them. Over a meal and beakers of ale, Eochaid explained to Donachd what his plans were. The chieftain advised his King that he thought it unlikely that the Ui Neill would be interested in any treaty - what would be in it for them? Eoric and the King had discussed this very issue on a number of occasions and he had suggested Eochaid offer to pledge fealty to the Ui Neill in respect of Antrim, but not for any part of his Kingdom that lay across the water. Eoric's argument for this was that Eochaid was already considering abandoning the lands altogether. If he was willing to go that far, why not give the Ui Neill part of what they wanted - tribute from the territory - without giving everything up. If such a device was enough to secure a breathing space for Dalriada it would surely be worth it. Donachd remained doubtful about how the Ui Neill would respond to such an offer. He could see it might have some merit however, and agreed it was worth the attempt. A messenger was sent out to try and arrange a meeting with the Ui Neill leadership as quickly as possible and Eochaid, Gemma and Eoric settled down to wait. Two days later while wandering around the camp with Gemma, Eoric had an idea of how he might be of value to the King. He decided to share his thoughts with her to seek her views. "Princess, I've been thinking that I might be able to do your father a service in this plan to achieve a treaty. You are aware of my camouflage abilities, would it not be a good idea for me to creep into the lands of the Ui Neill and try and gather intelligence that could help achieve a positive outcome?" he asked. Gemma's first instinct was to tell him no, as she didn't want him going into danger. She hesitated before she responded however, thinking about what he had said and in particular agreeing that his camouflage abilities were exceptional. She knew how important this peace treaty was to her father and possibly to the whole of Dalriada. If they could raise a big enough force of men from Antrim they could push the men of Strathclyde out of Dalriada before their own people suffered too grievously. The greater good outweighed her personal concerns and she answered Eoric accordingly. "My love, I don't want to see you in any danger, but I kow how important this treaty could be. If you do decide to go, please promise me that you'll not take any stupid risks and will come back to me safe and sound," she said. Eoric drew her into his arms, hugging her tightly. He stroked her long hair and whispered to her. "Have no fear, Princess. I fully intend to be back with you as quickly as my legs will carry me. I find I cannot bear to be away from you for too long." His words pleased her enormously and she rewarded him with a kiss. He waited until darkness fell and then set out to creep out of the fortified town and into the countryside. He found the most difficult part was getting down from the walls and eventually had to just lower himself from the top of the wall and then drop the remainder of the way to the ground. In the darkness he had no idea of how much further he had to drop and he braced himself for the impact. Eoric almost laughed out loud when he found the drop was only four feet or so. His landing was soft and he paused to take his bearings before setting of westwards. Once again he began to run, settling into the ground-eating stride he used several times now. He headed in the direction he had been told the main camp of the Ui Neill was - at Doire (modern day Londonderry or Derry). He found the feel of the land around him and of the creatures that inhabited it much the same as his own Dalriada. Several hours of running later, he even sensed the presence of a small group of Bauchailleen. That brought a smile to his face, as he thought of the little rascals carrying out some kind of prank or other, no doubt involving some poor unsuspecting herder. As dawn broke he found that he still felt fresh, his ability to soak up energy from the ground he travelled over sustaining him, so he carried on until he felt the need to stop and eat. Gemma had made up a small pack of food for him and he ate some of that now, stooping to drink from a stream he had stopped beside to wash it down. Eoric continued to run through the day and into the night, pausing once more to eat and sensed the presence of many men ahead of him in the early hours of morning. He decided there was no point in going forward in the darkness, as he would be just as invisible to the Ui Neill in the daylight and he himself would be able to see more. He found a small clump of bushes and wrapped himself in his plaid to sleep for a few hours. The sweet sound of early morning birdsong woke him as dawn was showing her face to the Derry countryside and he paused long enough to drink some water before proceeding onwards. The Derry township came into view and he could sense many hundreds of men and women within its walls. Waiting for the gates to be opened, he carefully slipped inside and scouted his way through the various structures. Eoric quickly identified where the Ui Neill leaders were based by the amount of traffic coming and going. It was a simple matter to slip inside the hall and explore what was going on inside. To his disappointment, the scene looked much like the scene in other hall-houses he had been in. People were eating and drinking, but nothing was going on that would prove useful to him he thought. That assessment changed an hour or so later, as he walked past one of the tables and overheard the three men there talking. Their words told him that these were three of the Ui Neill lieutenants and they were bemoaning the present situation they found themselves in. "We can't continue to suffer the losses we've been suffering. You can say what you like about the Antrim men, but they are bonny fighters, that they are," said one. "To be sure and they seem to have a never-ending supply of re-inforcements, big bloody brutes every one of them," another added. "What about the suggestion that we seek a peace treaty with them? That at least would give us a pause, time to bring in the harvest maybe and to recover our strength, I for one think it's a good idea and I'll support it," finished the third. Eoric connected with the third man and shared what was going through his head. He identified that there was to be a council meeting that night, a meeting called in response to the request from Eochaid for a meeting. Eoric realised that would be a good meeting to spy on, a meeting where he might learn valuable intelligence about the Ui Neill's planned approach to dealing with Eochaid. He found a place to hole up for the rest of the day, keeping out of people's way in case someone stumbled over him. As men began to make their way to the hall-house, he guessed that the meeting was close to getting underway and he ventured out and slipped into the hall once more. The meeting was blessedly short and Eoric was both surprised and delighted at what he heard. The Ui Neill leadership was concerned that Eochaid himself was in Antrim. It was clear that they hadn't heard any news yet from across the water and they were assuming that the King had arrived to personally lead an assault against them. The views he had heard from the three lieutenants were common amongst those gathered and the cumulative effects of years of continual fighting had worn them down. The thought of Eochaid and possibly fresh re-inforcements from Dalriada had them really concerned and it wasn't long before the leadership declared that they would seek agreement to a treaty. "Why should this Eochaid be willing to agree to a treaty with us now, just when he has the upper hand and we are weak?" asked one of the Ui Neill. "What if we were to offer to relinquish all claims on Antrim now and in the future? That would surely be something that would interest him?" responded another. Although this was considered a dramatic change in policy, further debate and discussion showed there was a diminishing appetite for keeping the fight going and it was eventually agreed that they would make this offer. Eoric thought he had heard enough and he slipped out of the hall, making his way down through the town before the gates closed for the night. He crept through the gates and into the countryside beyond, making sure he was far enough away from the walls before starting to run once more. ------- Chapter 8 Eoric's run back to Ballymena was without incident and he made his way through the town in search of Gemma and Eochaid. Gemma spied him and rushed forward to give him a welcoming hug, relieved to have him back with her and safe. Eochaid raised an eyebrow in question at the show of affection, but didn't press for an explanation. Instead he asked Eoric where he had been hiding himself for the past few days as he had missed seeing him around. "Ahem, well Sire, I have been spying on the Ui Neill for you. I went to Derry to see whether I could find out anything to our advantage," Eoric said. "What! Alone? Eoric, that was foolhardy in the extreme and if you had asked me, I would have forbidden you to undertake such a rash and risky venture," the King said. "I know, Sire. That's why I didn't ask and it wasn't all that risky at all, honestly. In any event, I think you will judge the results of my trip worth the effort," Eoric responded. "Why so, master blacksmith?" Eochaid asked, his interest quickening. "It would seem that Donachd needs to improve his own intelligence gathering, Sire. In a few short hours I was able to determine that the Ui Neill losses have been significant over the past few years and their strength is badly depleted. They are also disheartened by the fact that Antrim is continually re-inforced from Dalriada. "There was already talk about them suing for peace to gain respite and to try and recover their strength. When news arrived that you had landed in Antrim in person, they took that as a sign that a major offensive is planned against them and that tipped the balance of their thinking. I believe they will agree to meet and hold talks and that they will offer you a treaty rather than the other way round. "If you display strength, they will offer a truce and, to try to persuade you to accept it, they will relinquish all claims to Antrim," Eoric advised. "Sweet Jesu! Are you sure, Eoric? They to offer me a treaty? Give up their claims to Antrim when I was on the verge of offering to pay tribute to them? Here is a wonder. You're right, I need to speak to Donachd about his intelligence. If their morale is as low as you suggest, he should have been aware of it. But this is a major turn of events, it may be that I can gain everything I wanted and more. As to showing strength, I have already ordered Donachd to muster a large force here at Ballymena in the hope that we can set off for Dalriada soon," Eochaid replied. Gemma was beaming at Eoric. Her hero had if anything risen even higher in her estimation with this latest achievement. The King patted him on the back and put a fatherly arm around his shoulder. "I am much in your debt for this Eoric, your information is likely to save me Antrim and free the troops I need to cleanse Dalriada. I will not forget this latest service my friend, said the King. ------- Below the loch, Nimue skulked in her cave, brooding over the exchange with Merlin. She was angry that she had been discovered when she had been so close to gaining everything she desired. There was also a tinge of fear, as she knew Merlin would seek her out now to deal with her. "Curse that interfering brat whoever he is. I was so close to getting everything I wanted and now instead I will have Merlin after me," she thought. She was in danger she knew. Although she had managed to leech the vast majority of Merlin's spells and magic from him, she realised her inexperience would limit how effective she was in using them. She had planned some years of practice to build up her strength and understanding, but that was not going to be possible now. She also had a sense that she had failed to uncover Merlin's juiciest lore, that his most powerful spells had eluded her. There had been a final layer of knowledge in Merlin's head that she had been unable to penetrate before being discovered. Now she had to come up with a plan to save herself from the wizard's wrath. "Perhaps there is more to this boy than meets the eye," she thought, "perhaps he might even be a weakness for Merlin, something I can use against him?" Nimue realised she had no other ideas to explore and decided she would indeed go after the boy. She had little to go on, only a vague sense that he belonged to Dalriada. That was where her search would have to begin. ------- Merlin was also thinking about Eoric. He realised the boy had a lot of potential, having sensed the energy and power within him. He was also excited by Eoric's developing sense of politics and his desire for unity amongst the Celtic people. To have such insight at a very young age was unheard of and Merlin began to wonder if he had been wrong about never seeing the likes of Arthur again. "I believe it is time that I met this young man in the flesh," he thought to himself, "matters this important call for me to look into his eyes and take his full measure." He decided that Nimue's fate could be put on hold meantime. Eoric was the more important issue for him and also likely to be more pleasant to deal with. "Yes, the witch can wait and stew over my plans for her," he thought. ------- The meeting with the Ui Neill had gone much as Eoric had predicted. There had been some initial bluster, which Eochaid listened to and then dismissed out of hand. The fact that there were several thousand Antrim troops mustered within sight of the meeting place added weight to Eochaid's position, but it took a lot of wrangling and words had to be chosen carefully before he eventually gained the concessions he wanted. It was clear the Ui Neill needed to go through a number of phases of discussion and negotiation to allow them to come to what they intended to propose without losing face. In the end it took four days of delicate talks before they reached a conclusion. After initially making a series of dire threats the Ui Neill gradually began to temper their language and even hint that their might be an accommodation possible between the two sides. Throughout this, Eochaid remained resolute and gave nothing away. The Ui Neill moved on to begin to explore whether there was any mutual advantage to simply calling off the fighting between them for a specified period. Eochaid showed willingness to talk about that, but again maintained the appearance that he needed no such accommodation as he was in the position of strength. Eventually the Irish realised they needed to offer their 'sweetener' if they were going to stave off what they thought would be a crushing offensive from Eochaid and his Antrim levies. They gradually began to introduce the possibility that they might be willing to relinquish their claims to Antrim in return for a peace treaty. Eochaid was tempted to reject the offer, to respond by saying that he felt the time was right to settle things between them once and for all, settle them on the field of battle. He thought that might wring even further concessions from the Ui Neill. In the end he decided that that might be pushing his enemies a little too far and there was little more to gain. He began to soften his stance, appearing to warm to the idea of the Ui Neill relinquishing their claim to his lands in return for a lasting agreement between them and an end to hostilities. It was a demoralised, but relieved Ui Neill leadership that clasped arms with Eochaid to confirm the treaty. When they were alone once more Eochaid ordered a feast to be prepared to celebrate what was in fact a significant victory, a victory achieved without having had to strike a blow. Over meat and ale he discussed plans with Donachd for shipping the Antrim men over to Dalriada proper. The crossing would require many boats, but if they landed at Ceann Tìre (modern day Kintyre) it would only take a matter of hours sailing. Once he had agreed the details with Donachd he went in search of Eoric. He found the young man eating and drinking with Gemma in a corner of the Ballymena hall. "Gemma, I have need of your young man for a few minutes if you please," he said. "Of course father, I was thinking of retiring for the night in any event. Good night, Eoric," she said. Once Gemma had left, Eochaid took her seat at the table and leaned in to speak to Eoric. "Now then young man. I have not failed to see that you and Gemma have grown increasingly close over the last few weeks, very close I would say." The blood drained from Eoric's face and a look of panic appeared in his eyes. He had been waiting for the King to take action to put an end to his relationship with his daughter, waiting for it and dreading the moment. He knew there was little he could do and was resigned to losing her. "Sire, I am very fond of Gemma, but I know the boundaries of such a relationship given my station in life. Believe me I have not exceeded those boundaries," Eoric almost croaked out. "You have already proved your worth to me personally and to Dalriada, Eoric. Many times over in fact. I just wanted to tell you that you both have my blessing. Do something about it soon or the girl will do it for you, I know how headstrong she can be when she has set her mind on something," the King said with a smile on his face. It was almost as if the panic had robbed Eoric of his power of hearing for he carried on as if the King's message had not sunk in. "I would never dream of doing anything to besmirch the Princesses' good name and standing, Sire. If it is your wish, I will keep away from her entirely. Perhaps it would be better that way anyway, as I have to admit it almost breaks my heart being so close to her and knowing that she can never be mine." "Eoric! I said you both have my blessing, now go and do something about it before I decide I don't want a simpleton for a good-son," said Eochaid, trying to stop himself from laughing outright at the young man's panic. Eoric stopped his rambling and his eyes grew wider than a deer's as the King's words at last managed to penetrate into his head. His mouth gaped open as the enormity of what Eochaid had said sank in. He was stunned that the King would accept a lowly blacksmith to wed his daughter and couldn't find any words to say. "We suggest you thank the King and go and tell Gemma. At the very least you need to start to breathe again or we shall all die for lack of air," his inner voice said. Eoric's senses returned after this prompt and he did indeed begin to breathe again and a look of immense gratitude appeared on his face. "Sire, I'm not sure that that is what Gemma wants, but you have made me very happy indeed. You don't know how much this means to me," he managed to get out. "Oh I think I do, Eoric, I think I do. Now go and find her." ------- Eoric found Gemma sitting on the seat under the window in her room and suddenly his mouth became dry, as he considered the possibility that she might now reject him. Just as his wildest dreams had been given the possibility of coming true were they about to cruelly dashed? Gemma's face lit up when she saw him, which was an encouraging sign he thought. His legs were threatening to give out on him and he thankfully took a seat beside her when she gestured for him to do so. "So, what did my royal father want you for that required me to absent myself?" she asked him. "Ahem. He ah, he wanted to ask me what my, ah, what my intentions were towards you," Eoric replied anxiously, the last part of the sentence coming out all in a rush. Gemma's brows dropped menacingly and her lips tightened to a thin line. "He what? How could he, how foolish! Even Kings can go too far and my father has done so this time. I'm sorry, Eoric. He should not have been so nasty, particularly in light of what you have done for him," Gemma replied. He dropped to one knee beside her. "Gemma, will you be my wife?" he asked. "What foolishness is this, Eoric? Father was being mean by teasing you. There's no need for you to get your own back by teasing me in return," said Gemma. "Gemma, Eochaid told me that we have his blessing. That's why he asked you to leave, he wanted to know if I loved you before then telling me that he would be happy to have me as his good-son. Now, will you marry me? Will you let me have you as my very own princess for the rest of our days? Will you let me worship you, cherish you?" "Oh, Eoric! Yes! Yes! Yes! Of course I will, has he really given us his blessing? Oh my, oh my, do you really want me? Are you sure?" she gabbled. "More than anything my love." They both now stood and embraced each other, Eoric once again thrilled at the softness of her woman's body with its curves and alluring swells. He felt himself harden immediately and this time when she dropped her hand between them he made no move to stop her. She tilted her head in an invitation to him to kiss her and he obliged, letting his lips meet hers softly. The kiss lingered and Gemma opened her mouth to let her pointy tongue press up against his lips, licking them and forcing her way into his mouth. They both had their eyes open and gazed at each other with both love and excitement. Eoric felt Gemma pull away slightly to allow her hand between them. Her hand tentatively brushed against the front of his kilt where his staff was hard as a rock. Her kiss faltered, as she gave a little gasp at the first contact with him, then grew demanding and passionate as she traced along his length. She abruptly sank to her knees in front of him and began to raise his kilt with both hands. "I need to see you, at long last, I must. I've waited patiently for so long now," she said, almost moaning in her eagerness. His cock sprang out from his abdomen a little when she had lifted the kilt far enough and her eyes grew wider as she stared at it, licking her lips with just the very tip of her tongue. "It's beautiful. Why have you kept it from me for so long?" She bent forward and let the velvety skin of his staff brush along her cheek back and forth several times before she began to plant soft kisses from its base and along the shaft towards the head. She had heard about this from the maids too and could think of no better way to repay him for the unselfish way he had been pleasuring her since Iona. Gemma's lips opened and she let the head of his cock slip between them, hollowing her cheeks so that she kept contact with him as he slid deeper into her mouth. Her tongue curled under the shaft and she used it to tease the most sensitive of spots and felt Eoric tense. She let one hand drop from holding his kilt and instead lightly dragged her nails across his sack and then used it to circle his cock at the base. Suddenly she felt him jerk and shot after shot of his man's juice filled her mouth. She rolled her eyes upwards to look at him and saw that he had his head thrown back and was biting his bottom lip. She swallowed quickly to try and cope with the volume he was spending, but found herself unable to do so quickly enough and soon she was choking. She had to pull her mouth from him and several further shots caught her face as he at last finished his climax. Eoric's legs gave out and he fell backwards onto her bed. He watched as she used her finger to scoop up the sperm from her face and sucked it into her mouth. His cock hadn't softened at all and the eroticism of watching her eating his offering so lovingly was guaranteed to keep him hard for evermore he thought. "This might be a good time to remind you of what we told you about the Uruisge's fertility," said his inner voice. "Somehow I don't think that's going to stop Gemma. She will not be denied this time, is there no way of controlling it?" "Of course there is, just like with some of your other abilities you can merely desire to be infertile and it will be so." Eoric did just that immediately, before he got too carried away. Gemma joined him on the bed and he could see by the look in her eyes that he was right. She was determined to complete their union and to do so now. He tried to kiss down her body to pleasure her with his tongue, but her hands tugging sharply in his hair stopped him. "No, my love. It has to be now. No more waiting, I'm more than ready for you believe me," she groaned. Gemma rolled over on top of him and straddled his thighs, pulling her own kilt up to her waist. She raised herself on her knees and reached back to hold his staff in place. "It looks far too big to fit inside me and I know this is going to hurt the first time, but I need to feel you there. Only then will I feel complete, Eoric. Don't deny me this, I have thought of little else for over a week now," she said as she slowly began to lower herself towards him. She let the head of his staff run the length of her already very juicy slit and bumped her little clit with it. That first contact brought a low guttural moan from her. She rubbed herself with him for several minutes, coating him with her oily juice, then wedged the head of his shaft against her opening. Once more she felt his cock buck in her hand and she felt the product of his second orgasm fire directly onto her slit. "I'm sorry, Gemma. This is my very first time and I can't seem to control myself, am over excited it seems," he groaned sheepishly. "Nonsense, my love. You but pay me a wonderful compliment and you still feel hard enough to me. We will have fun together we two, practising until we get it right." With that she lowered herself a little further and Eoric could feel his cock hit the little fleshy barrier he had looked at a number of times when he had been licking her. He felt Gemma's body tense and then she thrust herself down onto him, gasping as her hymen tore at her first attempt. She had misjudged the force of her thrust however, and slid half way down his staff, yelping in pain as she did so. Eoric used his arms to support her so that she didn't slip any further. "Take your time, love. Allow yourself to get used to it before you try to take any more," he said. "More? You mean it's not all in? Oh sweet Jesu!" she moaned once more. After several minutes of resting, Gemma tentatively tried to push herself down yet further. "No, Gemma, lift up first and let me gather some of your juice. It will make it easier perhaps," Eoric suggested. "Eoric, it was agony getting it in this far, why would I want to give up what I've managed to achieve already?" she asked. Nonetheless she took his advice and raised herself up until his staff was barely inside her. She tried dipping a short distance and experimented by rotating her hips slightly. She decided the feeling wasn't unpleasant and with Eoric's support she started a rhythmic series of dips, feeling him slide a little deeper into her on each thrust. At last she felt her pubic bone hit up against his and she ground her little button against him, enjoying the sparks of pleasure that flashed through her when she did so. "I did it! I have taken all of you!" she cried in triumph. "How do you feel? Is it still painful?" he asked with concern. "Not painful, more like stuffed," she responded. Gemma now began to raise herself up and down, almost as if she was riding a horse she thought and felt her pleasure begin to build and build, especially when she mashed her clit against him. "Oh, I think we are going to be doing this a lot, Eoric," she panted. Her pace began to quicken yet further and both of the youngsters grunted in time to her movement. Gemma could feel her woman's climax rushing towards her, stronger than she had ever felt it before. She supported herself by placing her palms on Eoric's chest and began to buck on top of him wildly, throwing her head back and wailing out her joy. The sudden series of contractions and tightening of her passage was enough to send Eoric over the edge for a third time and she felt his man seed firing deep within her. The two lovers held each other, sated for the moment. "Thank you, my love. That was the most wonderful experience of my life, mostly because I shared it with you," Gemma whispered in his ear as she lay full length on top of him. They both drifted off to sleep in each other's arms, satisfied smiles playing across their faces. ------- Chapter 9 As Eoric slept another vision played itself out in his head. This time it took the form of a series of clips featuring Eochaid. The first scene was in Dalriada and showed Eochaid on his horse, his yellow hair glinting in the sunlight almost as much as the blade of his sword, as he drove his men forward into battle. The scene ended with Eochaid clearly victorious and climbing the pathway that led to the summit of the hill-fort at Dunadd, a brilliant smile on his face. The second part of the vision was set in a landscape that wasn't familiar to Eoric. There was a range of very high mountains, snow capping their peaks and a loch surrounded on one side by a forest. The forest was made up of trees of different types and Eoric's subconscious appreciated the subtly varied shades of green that created a patchwork. The loch and the mountains framed an undulating field of yet another shade op green and here the tranquillity of the scenery was rudely contrasted by the brutal and savage battle that was taking place. Eoric might not have recognised where the battle was taking place, but he easily identified the foes that Eochaid was striving against - they were Picts, hundreds, perhaps thousands of Picts. Eochaid's forces seemed to be outnumbered, but he had the advantage of several hundred mounted men and he used these to maximum effect. Two columns of cavalry swept the field and trampled the Picts down into the soil. After each sweep, infantry dashed forward and finished the job the horses had started. The scenery was vivid in its colours and the battle was no less so with the deep red blood pouring from cuts and slashes making it clear that men were losing their lives on this killing field. The use of the cavalry meant that the exchange didn't last long and Eoric saw Eochaid rein his horse in, clearly victorious once more and in command of the battlefield. The third and final scene was set in another location that was unknown to Eoric, this one looked like a mountain pasture in late autumn, the ground turning a burnt orange colour as the vegetation died off in the cold atmosphere. Once again there was a battle raging, but Eoric had no idea the manner of men that Eochaid was fighting this time. It was sometimes difficult to pick out the King as a large number of his opponents had similar coloured hair to his own and in the melee all became confused. Eoric was in no doubt however, when the vision focussed on Eochaid Buide and he saw an opponent rent his skull open with a glancing blow from a battle axe. He saw the spray and fine droplets of blood bloom outwards from the wound, a piece of scalp and bone hung limply and Eochaid's eyes went glassy as his body crumpled and fell to the ground. Eoric woke and sat up, feeling sweat running down his body as if he had just finished a long run in the sunshine. He started to shiver and his body shook, waking Gemma who was curled up beside him. Gemma quickly put her arms around him and cradled his head, bringing it to rest on her shoulder. "What is it, Eoric? What's wrong with you?" she asked anxiously. Once he had managed to calm down a little, Eoric began to explain to Gemma that he had the power of sight. He knew he couldn't tell her everything his vision had contained, but he did share with her some of the things he had seen. He put his night sweats and shaking down to the brutal nature of the battle he had witnessed. The savagery, the hatred chiselled on the faces of the combatants and most of all the gore and blood that flowed in abundance. His description made Gemma shiver too and she accepted what he told her as being all that he had seen. The pair lay down again and Gemma was soon sleeping once more. Eoric had the vivid pictures from all three parts of the vision playing before his eyes and he found it impossible to sleep in the circumstances. He slipped from the bed and crossed to pull the heavy drape back from the window, gazing up at the star jewelled sky. "I see that you are cursed with the power of sight too, young Eoric," came Merlin's voice. "Merlin? I have witnessed frightening sights this night, sights that have turned my stomach with their detail and what they portend." "Aye, as I say, the power of sight can often be a curse. My connection to you allows me to see the detail; my friend and I have great sympathy. The thing is that nothing you can do will change any of it. If you warn Eochaid then his end will still happen, but just in a slightly different way to how you have seen it. I'm afraid if you share your knowledge you will quickly become known as a prophet of doom, a harbinger of despair and there will be nothing you can do to avert the events from taking place. Better to keep such visions to yourself, Eoric. It can be a heavy burden at times, but the alternative would be worse, believe me." "But to see the King die and not tell him? That doesn't seem right somehow." "What would you tell him, Eoric? That you saw him killed by an unknown Saxon, at an unknown place and on an unknown date? What could he do about it other than begin to worry constantly that his end was near? No, better I say to keep quiet about it, my young friend." Eoric realised this was exactly the approach he had instinctively taken with Gemma. He saw the wisdom in what Merlin was saying, but could also feel the weight of carrying such knowledge around without sharing it with anyone. Once more he began to realise the abilities he had inherited were not all wonder and light; they carried some staggering responsibilities. "Well now you know there is at least one other person you can share your burdens with. I know to my cost the weight and responsibility you are thinking about for I have had to shoulder them for fifty years or more. If you feel the need to share yours, then I offer myself, Eoric." With the offer made, Eoric felt the connection to Merlin break and he was left alone once more with his own thoughts. He realised Merlin had identified Eochaid's killer as a Saxon from reading his thoughts. He had never looked upon a Saxon before and was now able to put a face to the danger that he felt threatened all of the Celtic tribes and clans. There was at least one crumb of comfort to be taken from his vision he decided - it looked as if Eochaid was guaranteed of success in cleansing Dalriada of the men of Strathclyde and also in defeating the Picts. So long as the campaigns to achieve that were ongoing, Eochaid would be safe. After that he would be living on borrowed time. ------- Nimue looked intently into her glass ball and focussed on the man she wanted to carry out her work for her. After a minute or so the face of the senior druid from Dalriada appeared in the glass. "Garth, well done in completing your task of poisoning Eochaid Buide and helping King Beli invade his lands. I have more work for you to do now. I don't have much to go on, but I need you to identify and locate a young man of about sixteen years of age who lives in Dalriada. He will be a boy with some talent and no doubt that will make him stand out. He may have been an apprentice of some kind, but I don't know anything else about him. It's extremely important that you find this boy for me," she said. "My lady, I don't think I need to look too far. I'm sure I already know of who you're looking for. A young apprentice blacksmith managed to save Eochaid from my poison and helped spirit him away before King Beli and his men could capture him. His name is Eoric, but he hasn't been seen in some weeks. I assume he is in hiding somewhere with Eochaid, plotting some revenge on Beli no doubt," Garth replied. "So, he has already thwarted some of my plans has he? Find him for me Garth, find him and let me know where he is. He and I need to meet so that he can explain himself to me." ------- They crossed the North Channel in a flotilla of small boats, landing on the very foot of the Kintyre Peninsula. They passed the island of Sanda before pulling into a small natural bay at Keil, running the boats onto the shingle and then leaping out onto the beach itself. Eochaid had chosen this spot as it was highly unlikely that the men from Strathclyde had penetrated anywhere near this far into his Kingdom and he hoped to be able to muster more troops as he marched northwards. In particular he was anxious to secure horses, as the crossing in small boats had precluded them from bringing horses with them. From Keil they marched up Kintyre, between two ranges of hills and on towards Ceann Loch Chille Chiarain (modern day Campbeltown) where they stopped at a large settlement for two days, waiting for levies to join them. Having swelled their ranks by several hundred, they continued northwards, past Lussa Loch and on until they hit the west coast of the Peninsula. Their route continued along the coast as it became Loch Tarbert and they rested for the night at Tarbert itself, a smallish walled camp. The long march had left the troops weary, but Eoric was as usual full of energy almost as if he hadn't exercised at all. He had never visited this part of Dalriada and had worn a broad smile all day as he connected with the various elements of the landscape - feeling the hills, lochs and glens. He helped with the foraging for the force by going out and using his abilities to have a small herd of deer follow him back to the camp where others butchered the animals and began to roast them over open fires. For some reason this act made Eoric feel guiltier than he ever had before when taking animals for food and when he was offered some venison he found he had lost his appetite. "Your connection with nature is growing stronger and it is becoming increasingly difficult for you to kill - particularly if it is not mainly for your own survival. We think that you will eventually avoid all meat, as none of the four faeries you have within you ate it. The Uruisge survived on fish, the Gruagach on milk, the Ghillie Dhu on nuts, berries and other plants and the Heather Pixie mainly on honey." As soon as this sentiment was raised by his inner voice, Eoric recognised the truth of it and he left the camp to go in search of some fish. Gemma looked at him quizzically, but he simply shrugged his shoulders and began trotting off towards the head of Loch Tarbert. The next day their line of march was up the east side of Kintyre along the shores of Loch Fyne and Loch Gilp, with more men joining them all the time. When they reached the head of Loch Gilp, Eochaid had some two thousand six hundred men, two hundred of them horsed and they were a mere three miles from Dunadd. They were now seeing signs of despoilation around them, some small fields that had been growing grain had been burned and numerous herders' huts had been roughly pushed over. Eoric was able to use his abilities to identify approximately where any large body of people was situated around them, at least within a two or three mile radius. He had been scanning constantly as they moved northwards and he now sought out Eochaid to tell him what he 'knew'. "Sire, may I speak with you privately?" he asked. "Of course, Eoric," said Eochaid, walking off to the side so they wouldn't be overheard. "Sire, this is going to sound strange to you perhaps, but please hear me out and then I will try and answer any questions you might have. Something happened to me not so long ago and as a consequence I now have certain abilities. You have seen the results of me using some of these at times although it wouldn't have been immediately obvious. "I am able to tell you that there are some six hundred souls at Dunadd, but there are two other large bodies of men around us, most probably laying waste to Dalriada. To the northwest there are three hundred men and to our east around two hundred and fifty. "I cannot see any further than two or three miles so there might well be other groups around which are beyond that range. I would suggest we deal with the group to the east first and then quickly make for Dunadd. It may be that the hill-fort is held against us, but we could leave enough men to lay siege to it and still have enough to deal with the force which lies further north." When Eoric finished he could see the King looking at him curiously. Eochaid said nothing for a few moments and then began asking his questions. "Eoric, I suspected there was something about you, you're far too able to be a simple apprentice blacksmith. I am not going to question how you are able to say with such certainty that these men are where you say they are, not now anyway, but I need to know what else you can tell me about the various groups. Are they Picts or Celts? How well armed are they? How many of them are horsed? Is King Beli with any of the groups?" Eochaid began to fire questions. Eoric could see that Eochaid's questions were all aimed at gathering information that would help him decide how to attack the various groups and he concentrated on making some connections with people in the groups to try and find answers to the questions. "You don't know any of these people and have never seen any of them so you won't be able to connect with them," his inner voice advised. He was able to sense the presence of horses and so was able to advise the King that there were only a small number, around forty or so, with the force to the east. Eochaid was disappointed that Eoric couldn't provide any further details, but he accepted what he said and began to issue orders to move forward to meet the first group. As they began to march, a plume of smoke became visible rising up into the sky and if Eochaid had needed any confirmation that Eoric's abilities were accurate then he had it now. The smoke was most probably the result of more despoilation and helped pinpoint exactly where their enemies were. Eochaid dispatched all of his two hundred horsed men with orders for them to get between whatever force was ahead of them and Dunadd. He was determined to ensure no warning of the presence of the Dalriada force was given to those at the hill-fort. Eoric could see the King looking around himself anxiously as they made their way forward and he wondered what was troubling him. He edged over to his side and asked what he was thinking about. "Sire, what is amiss? I can see that something exercises your mind," he said. "I'm looking for strategic ground, ground that will work to our advantage Eoric," Eochaid replied. "What kind of features do you need, Sire?" he asked. "Whoever these dogs are, if your estimate of their numbers is correct, when they see us they will turn and flee. That's no use to me, I want them brought to battle and defeated. So, I am looking for some way to hide the majority of our force, but still have them able to join the fight quickly," said the King. Eoric was of course connected with the entire landscape and so was able to identify what Eochaid was looking for. "There is a small glen about a mile ahead. It runs into these hills you can see on our right. Would that do?" he asked. "Again I won't ask you how you know that, but yes, it will do - if we can reach it before we are spotted," Eochaid replied. In the event they did reach the glen before making contact with whatever force they were looking to engage with and the King ordered two thousand of his men into it, leaving himself only around four hundred to go on with. He ordered Eoric and Gemma to remain with the main body and not to risk themselves in any fighting that transpired. The reactions of the two youngsters were markedly different. Gemma was relieved, relieved for both herself and Eoric. Eoric was certainly frightened, but also now angry that he would not be allowed to play his part in fighting to free Dalriada. Barely twenty minutes later Eoric could sense when Eochaid and his men engaged with the enemy. By linking with the King he was able to confirm that it was a force of Strathclyde men that was ahead of them and he read Eochaid's thoughts as the King decided to try to lead the opposing forces into a trap. Ten minutes or so later the large Dalriada force clearly heard the sounds of men rushing towards them and Eochaid and his four hundred streamed past the mouth of the glen, the men of Strathclyde close behind them. This was the cue for the hidden force to sally forth and join the battle, Eoric disregarding Eochaid and Gemma's pleas by joining them. With such overwhelming odds the fight didn't last very long and the Strathclyde band were swallowed up by the larger mass of Eochaid's troops. There was clearly no love lost and within twenty minutes all was done, with none of the enemy left alive. Eoric felt his stomach turn as he watched men from the Dalriada force walk round and finish off those that were merely wounded. It was clear that they were taking no prisoners and dire vengeance was being enacted for the way the men of Strathclyde had raped and pillaged over the past few weeks. Eochaid himself was a frightening sight. There was a wild look in his eyes and his right arm was covered in bright blood. He spotted Eoric standing amidst the fallen and those who were dispatching the wounded and he strode towards him. "Eoric, I thought I ordered you to remain with Gemma and take no part in the fighting!" he said stiffly. "I'm sorry, Sire. I thought it was important to play my part for Dalriada, but as you can see, in the event I didn't strike a blow and probably only got in the way of those who were more effective. Now I'm feeling quite sick," Eoric replied sheepishly. As Eoric spoke he lifted his sword blade and Eochaid could see that it was un-blooded. The King shook his head and put his arm around the young man. "Eoric, this is not the way for you to serve my kingdom. Neither do you have to prove yourself, prove your courage. Already you have done that many times over and you are too valuable to me to risk you in a tousy like this. Later we can discuss these incredible abilities of yours. You managed to pinpoint our enemies from miles away, even accurately numbered the size of their cavalry force. That skill is invaluable to me and I won't have it jeopardised because you have some notion of needing to play a part in the actual fighting man!" said Eochaid. Eoric simply nodded to show that he understood. He turned and shuffled off to look for Gemma. He knew he was going to receive a tongue lashing from her too given the way she had pleaded with him not to join the battle. He found her still within the glen, surrounded by forty or so guards. Gemma burst from the circle of troops and rushed at him. When she reached him she raised both her fists and began pummelling his chest repeatedly. Eoric raised his own hands and captured hers, stopping the attack. He trapped her arms between their bodies as he enfolded her in a hug and felt her begin to sob on his shoulder. "What happened to me? Why couldn't I strike the enemy?" he asked his inner self as he comforted his girl. "It is as we have already told you, you now have a deep aversion, a repugnance even for the death of any living thing. The only exceptions to that are things that you need to eat and killing to defend yourself. None of the Strathclyde troops attacked you so there was need to defend yourself on this occasion. You are still badly affected by the deaths of all of these people, despite the fact they were your enemies." "But I wasn't really defending myself against the Picts in the village yet I managed to kill two of them," Eoric responded. "You forget, that was before you absorbed us into your body. Everything has changed now and will never be the same again. You now abhor the death of any living thing." Eoric concentrated once more on the girl crying in his arms. He stroked her hair gently as her body shook with her sobbing. "It's over Gemma. I'm sorry, I should have listened to you, but I thought I had a part to play. I promise I won't do it again, I've learned my lesson and in any event the King has made it clear to me that I must keep out of any fighting," he whispered. "I was so worried. I feared you would not come back to me." Eochaid joined the two youngsters and he also comforted his daughter. He re-assured her that he would not let Eoric get close to any fighting in the future and that seemed to cheer her up considerably. "Ah, you have taken some time my proud friend. You must have had many miles to travel to find us. Well met!" said Eoric. Eochaid turned and was stunned to see his own warhorse stamping and pawing at the ground. "Thunder! This is Thunder! How is it that my own horse comes to be here?" he asked. "I told him I would call him when he was needed," said Eoric, "he has been enjoying himself running wild for a few weeks, but now it is time for him to serve you again." Eochaid was delighted and impressed once more by Eoric's abilities. He was determined to question the boy on all of this once they made camp for the night. First there was the small matter of attacking the hill-fort at Dunadd. ------- Chapter 10 "I'm sorry my Lady, we have no word of the boy as yet. I have all of my druids out looking for him, but with no success so far. I can tell you that Merlin has been spotted in Dalriada though. I have a report indicating that he is making his way to Dunadd," said the head druid. "Very well, Garth. But find me that boy, find him before Merlin does because that is obviously what his plans are," replied Nimue. She cut the connection with the druid and began to pace the floor of her cave. It appeared that she was right and there was a connection between Merlin and this boy. There might still be hope for her if the druids could locate the boy first and she could use him against the wizard perhaps. ------- Merlin had been able to divine that Eoric had returned to Dalriada several days before and he had set out immediately. He had followed the boy's progress and was now heading for Dunadd himself as he knew that would be where the Dalriada force would go next. He was intrigued by the feelings he had sensed from Eoric at both the slaughter of the deer and then the slaughter of the men from Strathclyde. It appeared as if the boy's connection with Mother Nature was strong indeed, so strong that he almost seemed to hold all life as a sacred thing. Merlin was very wise in the lore of elementals and he knew that their connection with nature was a fundamental part of their existence. He began to wonder whether Eoric was somehow linked to the elementals. He had never heard of such a thing before however. It was possible to call the faeries, to summon them for assistance if you knew the right words, but they came reluctantly for the most part. How a human boy could be linked with them was puzzling indeed. "I will have my answers soon enough hopefully," he thought to himself, as he urged his horse onwards to Dunadd. ------- The bodies of the Strathclyde Britons had all been searched for anything of value. Their horses had been rounded up and now had new owners, but their bodies were left bloody and ruined on the field where they lay for the carrion to feast on. Eoric tried to keep his eyes from looking at the bodies as they marshalled themselves for the march on Dunadd. He found it didn't matter whether he looked at them or not however, his connection with nature ensured the horror of their deaths hung on him like a tangible shroud, cloying and sickening. He could feel their blood being hungrily soaked up by the earth and sensed even now the tiny organisms going to work to begin to break down their flesh so they would return fully to the soil. He shivered and tried to break the connection, but it remained with him for several miles before it started to fade a little and he was able to focus on other things. By then they were only a few miles from Dunadd and Eoric focussed on trying to pinpoint the enemy forces there so he could pass the information on to Eochaid. Once more he was able to determine roughly how many people were there and where they were positioned, but he couldn't connect with any of them. He was surprised when he sensed the presence of the druid he had tried to connect with after Eochaid had been poisoned. The druid was inside the hill-fort and again Eoric felt only a solid wall when he tried to penetrate his thoughts. He passed this information on to Eochaid when he advised the King on the enemy's numbers and deployment. Eochaid's face grew grim at the thought of getting his hands on the druid. The Dalriada force swept up to Dunadd and the horsed men spurred ahead to try to surprise those now occupying their Kingdom's main site. This ploy worked and most of the Britons were caught outside the fort. The Dalriada horse got between the invaders and the approach to the fort, holding them until the massive body of infantry could catch up and fall upon them. Eochaid was once more in the forefront of the fighting, now riding his mighty warhorse, Thunder. Eoric forced his own horse forward, but couldn't win close to the King. He jumped from the horses back and began to draw up energy from the soil, using that to physically push men and horses aside so that he could get closer to Eochaid. Eochaid heard Eoric calling his name and glanced backwards just as one of the Britons struck a blow at the boy with a sword. He watched in amazement, as Eoric's own blade flashed in a blur and met the edge of the Briton's weapon. Eoric's blade shattered that of his opponent and the boy allowed his swing to follow-through so that his own sword slashed a deep diagonal wound from the shoulder of the Briton, across his chest and down towards his abdomen. Eoric didn't pause, but instead pressed on towards the King. When he spoke, Eochaid felt the fine hairs on his arms and on the back of his neck stand up. "Eochaid Buide! Put an end to this slaughter now! These are fellow Celts, no matter what they have done. Call your men off now I say!" Eoric ordered the King. Eochaid was taken by surprise at the strength, power and energy in Eoric's voice and also by the words he spoke. His bright yellow hair whipped across his face in the wind and he brushed it aside, looking at Eoric with new respect. When he looked around him it was to find that all fighting had already stopped and his men were rounding up the Britons. Eochaid was unsure how Eoric had accomplished this, but he had no doubt it was all the boy's doing. How else could it be explained? Hundreds of men engaged in mortal combat didn't just all decide at the same time to call a halt. Something had made them do so and Eochaid, having felt the power in Eoric's voice was sure that had been the cause. "It would appear that you have your wish without any command from me Eoric," he said, "now, if you can perform the same trick to remove those from the hill-fort that would be doubly impressive". "I think I might be able to do something to help with that," came another voice. Eoric and Eochaid turned to find Merlin behind them. He was dressed in a plain grey tunic and cloak, his silver hair and beard framing his craggy face. His blue eyes twinkled as if he had heard something really funny and was still enjoying the amusement of it. "Merlin!" cried Eoric. "Well met, Eoric and may I say well done on ending this unseemly slaughter too. You are a credit to your clan I say." "Not you as well?" bemoaned Eochaid. "Aye, Eochaid King. I happen to agree with this young man that Celts should not be fighting Celts. There are other, more dire threats awaiting us all and it would be better if we could unite to face them," the wizard responded. "For now I would be content with having these invading Britons out of my Dalriada!" exclaimed Eochaid. Merlin turned to face the hill-fort and raised his staff on high. A ball of flame burst from the tip of the staff and rocketed towards the fort. All around watched as it flew inside the hall and the Britons on the hilltop began to stream from the structure, rushing to get away. Within minutes the hill-fort was cleared and all of the invaders were in custody. Strangely, there was no smoke or flames coming from the hall. It almost seemed as if the ball of flame had been an illusion. Eoric smiled to himself at this thought. Eochaid had given orders before the assault that he wanted King Beli and the druid taken alive and brought before him. Both of them were now dragged away from the others and over to where the King stood. "Beli, you should die for your treachery, indeed I have been thinking about just how much suffering I could inflict on you before your end. However, there are some here who have urged me to spare you and your men, advisors that I trust and will not go against lightly." The men of Dalriada who were in earshot began to growl menacingly at the thought that King Beli and his men were not going to be put to the sword, Eoric's affect on them clearly wearing off. Eoric glared back at them in return and began to soak up additional energy from the earth around him. "You act like fools, all of you!" he shouted, "Britons and Dalriadan's both. You fight and kill each other while others are plotting and scheming to wipe out all of the Celtic tribes and clans. Did King Arthur's words pass you by? "The real threat to our way of life will come from the Picts, but most especially the Saxons! "King Beli, if you want more lands I suggest you join with King Eochaid and take it from the Picts. All the lands to the East and North of us are held by the Picts, take that. Take it and begin to build up your strength for the more grievous battles that surely lie ahead." "Who lets this puppy yelp?" Beli asked dismissively. "I for one say he speaks a lot of sense!" said Merlin, "more sense than you have shown by foolishly attacking your neighbour, Beli. Look where that has got you! And I do not forget that you failed to support Arthur in his hour of need. I suggest you take your men, return to Strathclyde and consider Eoric's words. Aye and do so before Eochaid and his men change their mind!" Beli was led away and there was no delay as the entire Strathclyde contingent, minus their weapons, began to drift away eastwards. The druid was now brought before Eochaid. There was a smug little smile on his face that disappeared as he saw the King's face grow black with rage. "There have been no similar pleas to spare your murdering, worthless skin druid!" he spat out, "for that I'm thankful, as I would have had to reject them. Tomorrow I will tell you your fate. You can have tonight to dream of how terrible it is going to be." Eochaid turned his back on the druid, close to losing his ability to hold himself in check any longer. The druid was dragged away and taken up the pathway to the hill-fort. "Now, once I have had time to control my temper, I think it is high time you gave us an account of the abilities you have been using, Eoric," said the King. "Good! That is one of the reasons I have made the journey to Dalriada. I think I'm going to enjoy hearing this," pitched in Merlin. Gemma had joined them and looked quizzically at Eoric. The boy shrugged his shoulders, resigned to sharing everything that had happened to him. The four of them made their way up the pathway and into the hall on top of the hill. The kitchen maids ran to mob Gemma and welcome her back and they advised that food and drink would not be long in appearing. Eoric looked round the hall and could see no sign of fire damage. He raised an eyebrow at Merlin and the wizard winked at him, confirming what Eoric had suspected, the fireball had been an illusion. He took a seat at one of the tables and Gemma, Merlin and Eochaid joined him, looking at him expectantly. "Can't we at least eat first?" he asked, "I feel like the condemned man and I should get a meal." They accepted his request reluctantly; their interest now fully piqued. The maids arrived with platters of meat, bread and jugs of ale, placing them on the table and giving each of them a wooden plate to eat from. Eoric had to ask if there was any fish available, as he couldn't eat the beef. He waited until a plate of fish was brought out for him. Each of the other three continued to glance at Eoric and he felt himself being pressured into sharing everything. He picked at his fish and kept his eyes downcast to avoid their looks then put his spoon down on his plate and began to tell his tale. "It all began while I was sleeping," he started, "apparently I was being watched over by a number of faeries and a fiery rock from high up in the sky was plummeting towards me..." It was a measure of just how fantastic his story was that there were no interruptions as he walked them through everything that had happened to him (leaving out his dalliances with Gemma). He talked them through his initial realisation that something had changed within him and how he had begun to explore his new abilities. Merlin had hunched forward over the table opposite Eoric as soon as the tale started and he was soaking up all the detail with a gleam in his eye. His theory about a connection with the elementals was proving to be accurate. Eoric continually glanced at Gemma to see how she was taking the news about his altered state. His biggest fear had been that she would consider him some kind of freak and want nothing to do with him. Her face remained blank of emotion as his tale unfolded and he was nearing panic. "Gemma, I am still a human, don't think less of me because of this. Please?" he eventually said. Gemma realised just how worried he had been and moved to hug and re-assure him. Eoric shared everything with them. He explained how he had first found out about being able to overhear thoughts and described his first 'visions'. He explained what he could do when he soaked up energy from nature and how being connected to everything around him helped him identify what was going on. His ability to see into the minds of creatures was also of interest to the wizard when he heard it. Merlin had lots of questions and he now began firing them at Eoric. "Have you tried out all of the abilities the voice said the four faeries had?" he asked firstly. "Not all of them. I did have a half-hearted attempt at flying, but that came to nothing so I guess I don't have that ability. The inner voice suggested I have access to all the lore known by the winds, the trees, the rocks and all the plants and animals, but I haven't really thought about what that means. The only time I have used that so far was in fixing up the remedy to counteract the poison the King had drunk," Eoric replied. At the mention of all this lore, Merlin's eyes lit up even more if that was at all possible. "Just because you can't do something now doesn't mean you won't be able to do it in the future. My experience is that the more one uses one's abilities, tests them, stretches them, then the more one can do. Your strength might grow and as you become more experienced, new levels of ability might become available to you. I think we need to discuss the issue of the lore together, but perhaps at another time." "Oh, and there are some abilities I have that none of the faeries had," said Eoric, "like this one." He pointed his finger at Merlin and a little dart of flame appeared from the tip. The wizard smiled and reached forward to engulf the flame with his hand. The smile disappeared rapidly and he howled in pain as the flame seared his flesh and he pulled his hand back. "How? It's a real flame, not an illusion. How can you do that?" Merlin managed to get out. "I don't know. The inner voice suggested that it must have something to do with the flaming rock that I absorbed at the same time as the faeries. It also told me that some of the faeries could see into the minds of animals, but none could see into the mind of a human. So that's something else I didn't get directly from them. Once I've made a connection with someone I can transfer energy to them through the link. I did that to help the King recover and also when I was trying to help you Merlin," Eoric replied. "How were you able to identify where our enemies were? How did you manage to call Thunder and how did you get all of those men to stop fighting?" asked Eochaid. "The first two were easy. My connection to the earth just allows me to sense what's around me - minerals, plants and in this case people. Because I didn't know any of them or have never seen them, I couldn't look inside their heads so I couldn't give you all the information you wanted. I was able to sense the presence of horses though and gave you an account of how many the Britons had. When we left Thunder at Crinan I told him I would call him when he was needed. I was able to reach out across the miles and connect with him so I could summon him to you. "I'm still not sure how I stopped the battle. I remember soaking up a large amount of energy from the ground before I asked you to call a halt to things and I can only guess that had something to do with it," Eoric finished. There were many more questions and more ale was called for as they continued to talk for some hours. At last Eoric felt Gemma beginning to lean on him more heavily and when he looked down at her he saw she was falling asleep. King Eochaid saw him look and he too saw that his daughter was very tired. "I think we all need some rest. Eoric, why don't you make sure that Gemma gets off to her bed? We can meet again tomorrow morning and this time we can discuss what our plans for the future are," he said. Eoric wasn't sure what the King meant by this, whether he was giving Eoric open permission to sleep with Gemma, but he chose to interpret it as such and he stood, effortlessly lifting her into his arms and carrying her off to her chamber. ------- Chapter 11 Nimue crept forward to the foot of the path leading up to the hill-fort. She had lost all contact with Garth so was unsure of everything that had gone on. She had watched from the woods as King Beli and his troops had passed on their way back to Strathclyde so she had a fair idea that Eochaid had overthrown the invaders. Why Beli and his men had been allowed to live wasn't clear to her and indeed was something of a surprise. She made her way to Dunadd and was now contemplating ascending the hill to try and locate the boy. She was sure he would be here with Eochaid. Overcoming the guards at the foot of the hill was not difficult. She flitted close to them without being seen and sprinkled some dust into her palm before blowing it towards the guards. The dust formed a little cloud as it floated over the guards and when they inhaled it they quickly slumped to the ground unconscious. The Lady of the Loch stepped lightly over the guards and made her way up the passageway to the top of the hill. She closed her eyes and began to mentally sweep the structures here, trying to locate what she had come for. Her eyes opened with shock as she identified that Merlin was present. She knew she had little time before he would sense her presence and come for her so she had to move fast. She had also sensed Garth's presence and it appeared as if he was under guard. Leaving him for Merlin to question could be dangerous so she would need to free him before she left this place. She knew what her first priority was though - the boy. Nimue crept towards where she had sensed a faint picture of the boy and found herself outside a chamber. She slipped past the heavy drape covering the doorway and took in the scene before her. "Oh, how sweet. The boy has found himself a fair maiden and don't they look good together. Well, I'm sorry, young lovers, but I'm going to have to break this up," she thought. Nimue worked on her most powerful controlling spell. It was complex and required absolute concentration. As she quietly muttered the words of power, a ball of energy began to form between her palms. It glowed a luminous blue and had strands of pure brilliant white within it, as it began to grow and strengthen. When she judged that the spell was strong enough she looked across at the sleeping boy and smiled as she cast the spell towards him. The ball flew across the chamber at Eoric's head, but just before it hit him, a halo of fiery orange light appeared around his head and the ball was consumed by it as it hit. Nimue's hand came up to her mouth as she gasped in surprise. She turned and quickly slipped out of the room, realising that she had failed this time and ran the risk of being caught herself. She ran with light footsteps towards where she had sensed Garth was being held and dealt with his guards in the same manner she had dealt with those outside. When she slipped inside the chamber she found the druid lying on a mattress and roughly shook him awake. Garth went from being asleep to being wide awake in an instant. His smile returned when he saw Nimue and he rose to join her, both of them slipping out of the chamber. They stepped over the unconscious guards and made their way over to the path down from the hill top. ------- "Eoric, you are under attack! Wake up! Wake up!" Eoric became aware of his inner voice screaming at him and he sat bolt upright in the bed. "What is it? Who is attacking us?" he asked. "There was a woman in the room. She tried to cast some kind of spell at you, but we stopped it by using some of your energy as a block." Eoric slipped out of bed and pulled a robe around himself. He extended his thoughts across the hill-top in search of his attacker and quickly identified the beautiful woman he had caught sight of once or twice when he had connected with Merlin. He could tell what she was doing when he identified the presence of the druid beside her. He crept out of the chamber and headed in their direction. At the same time he reached out and tried to connect to Merlin. "Merlin, there is trouble afoot. You need to wake and come to me now. I've been attacked by some kind of witch and she is now helping the druid to escape." He ran forward quickly and caught sight of the pair running down the pathway. Instinctively he lifted his hand and fired a blast of energy at them. His blast hit the rock just as the pair disappeared round a bend in the path and he knew he had missed. Merlin appeared at Eoric's elbow, a worried expression on his face. "Where are you hurt?" he asked. "What do you mean? I'm not hurt at all," Eoric replied. "But you said you had been attacked by a witch!" Merlin exclaimed. "I was, while I was sleeping. It seems that whatever I absorbed is able to act as a silent guard and when the witch cast a spell at me, it drained off some of my energy to block it. Merlin, the woman was one I have seen when I've been connected to you in the past," Eoric said. "Nimue! By the gods, I think I need to apologise, Eoric. I thought it was safe to leave dealing with her until after I had caught up with you. It would seem I have made a mistake and should have dealt with her quickly. Where are they now?" Eoric had been following their progress through his connection to his surroundings. "They are on horse back and heading east. If I ran I could probably catch them," he said. "No! She is too dangerous and it seems she has designs that involve you my young friend. I will have to follow and deal with her, but first we need to discuss with Eochaid what his plans are. What are you doing now?" Merlin asked. "I can sense she has somehow drugged some of the guards and I'm going to see if I can help them," Eoric replied. Together they made their way down the path. Merlin paused at the scorched rock where Eoric's blast had hit. "You?" he enquired. Eoric simply nodded and continued down the path. He found the two guards lying in a heap on the ground and reached out to take the hand of one of them. "This is a mix of magic and plant. It is very powerful, but we know how to overcome it. The plants you will need should be available in the kitchens," said his inner voice. Merlin watched as Eoric assessed what was wrong with the guards. He had a good idea what Nimue would have used against them and to his knowledge there was no way of reversing the effects. Only time would bring the men back to consciousness. Eoric summoned some additional energy from the rock at his feet and then lifted both of the guards, one under each arm. He made his way slowly back up the path so he didn't bump the guards against the rock and laid them down beside the other two that Nimue had drugged. Merlin followed along behind him, impressed once more by the boy's ability to harness nature's energy in this way. Merlin trailed behind as Eoric quickly made his way to the kitchens. He lit some torches with his finger and began searching for the plants he needed. When he had found the ingredients, he mashed them together in a bowl with some water to make a cold soup. Then Merlin heard him begin to chant some words over the bowl. When he finished chanting the words his inner voice had told him to use, Eoric picked up the bowl and a wooden spoon and made his way back to the guards. He held each guard up as he spooned some of the soup between their lips. To Merlin's amazement all of the guards began to come round immediately. He wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't witnessed it with his own eyes. "I see now that you do indeed have access to much lore, Eoric. I'm pretty sure I know what Nimue used on these men and to my knowledge there was no way of reversing it. She would have mixed some powerful magic with her herbs yet you have beaten it without much effort. How did you know what to do?" Merlin asked. "The voice inside me told me what to do, the same as when I needed to find a remedy for Eochaid," Eoric replied. "Then it is clear that you do have access to all the lore you described earlier. All you need to do is ask this inner voice of yours and it should be able to explain what you need to do in any given circumstance. I do believe you have lore that is well beyond even my knowledge," said Merlin. The guards were now awake, but still groggy. Eoric told them to find others to relieve them of their duty for the night and then to rest. With little else to do, both he and Merlin returned to their own beds for the night too. ------- Nimue led Garth to the Dunadd stables at the run and he selected a suitable mount. She ran on to where her horse was tethered and swung lightly up onto its back and then the two of them galloped off together. They were anxious to put miles between themselves and Dunadd in case they were pursued. After several miles Nimue slowed her beast and Garth followed suit. She cast her thoughts behind them, but couldn't detect anyone following and relaxed somewhat. "You're lucky that I decided it was too dangerous to leave you behind for Merlin to question, Garth. You have let me down badly in all this. You were so sure you could engineer the fall of Dalriada that would keep the Celts at each other's throats. And now you have allowed Merlin to have control of the boy, a boy that I now know has some extraordinary power. I have witnessed what he can do with my own eyes - he should never have been able to withstand my controlling spell, even if he had been awake. He brushed it off like a fly while he yet slept! I need to get my hands on him and if you want to return to my good grace you will need to help me!" she said. "I will do my best for you, my Lady, as always," Garth responded quietly. "This is what we must do..." ------- Eochaid's rage the next morning was something to behold. He had been looking forward to exacting his revenge on the druid that had tried to kill him, had poisoned him and the news of his escape had the King livid. It was clear to all those who knew him that this temper would take days to subside and accordingly, everyone was giving him a wide berth. They had been intending to sit down and discuss Eochaid's plans for the future, but that was not going to happen now and Eoric and Gemma decided it might be altogether more pleasant if they went outside for a walk. Merlin chose to accompany them, failing to see that in doing so he would be something of a gooseberry. The three could still hear Eochaid shouting at anyone who happened to go near him, as they descended the path and out onto the flat land around the hill-fort. The June weather was warm and sunny, warming them as they walked slowly through the long grass in companionable silence. Swallows were darting around over head and Eoric in particular was enjoying the summer's day. He was holding Gemma's hand and allowing some of what he was feeling through his connection to nature to bleed across into her. Gemma was astonished at the way her senses were heightened and at just how much she was suddenly aware of. She stopped him, pulling him close to kiss him for sharing this magnificent gift. Merlin smiled at the two youngsters and continued walking ahead. As Merlin reached the edge of the forest, Eoric sensed something was not right. He let his thoughts reach out to search for what was bothering him and found it quite quickly. He sensed there was a small patch of the forest that wasn't as it should be. There was nothing definite about it, just... it didn't fit, it was somehow out of place. ------- Nimue led Garth in a long loop around Dunadd to the forest on its west side. She picked out a spot and began to cast strong spells of concealment, spells designed to defy even powerful magic users from finding them. Her plan was to keep the hill-fort under observation until she saw an opportunity to capture the boy. She laboured most of the way through the night and as dawn was breaking she was happy with the results. Satisfied that no one would be able to discover them, she lay down to rest for a few hours and quickly fell asleep. Her sleep was disturbed some hours later when she sensed someone approaching. Nimue sat up and couldn't believe her luck when she saw Merlin, the boy and the boy's maiden walking towards her. She roused Garth and gestured for him to remain silent, pointing to the approaching trio. It would be important to deal with Merlin first and deal with him quickly she knew - he was the most dangerous of the three. She wracked her thoughts for an attack that would be quick and deadly, feeling no remorse at the thought of murdering her old teacher. She readied herself and noticed that the boy and girl had stopped to share a kiss, leaving Merlin to wander closer to her on his own. ------- Eoric still couldn't work out what was wrong with the small patch of woodland and he was trying to penetrate it without success. "Why can't I connect with those particular trees?" he asked his inner self. "Because they're not trees," the voice replied. "Well they look like trees, but now that you mention it, I can't 'feel' them as trees. If they're not trees then what are they?" Something clicked into place in Eoric's head. He couldn't connect with the trees, but he could connect with everything in nature. He couldn't penetrate the spot and that suggested strong magic. "Merlin, look out! In the trees!" he shouted. The wizard looked up and scanned the trees just at the point that Nimue launched her attack on him. He had fractions of a second to identify her and realised she had cast a spell. Eoric's warning had alerted him just in time and allowed him to prepare a defence. A shaft of hardened metal flew straight towards Merlin's heart, its tip sharpened to a point. Just before it buried itself in the wizard, a shield appeared on his arm and he held it to his chest to deflect the metal bolt. A ball of sheer power followed along behind the shaft however, and Merlin wasn't prepared for that. The ball cannoned into him and knocked him from his feet. Eoric had been soaking up energy from the soil and he now loosed a massive energy ball of his own, twice as strong as the one that had just hit Merlin. Nimue's focus was on the wizard and Eoric's attack was on her before she could react. She in turn was knocked from her feet, but as she fell she saw Garth dart forward, his sharp ceremonial knife in his hand. Garth reached the prone figure of Merlin and he plunged his blade repeatedly into the wizard's chest. Eoric watched in horror as the druid ran forward and stabbed Merlin several times with some kind of dagger. He ignored Nimue for the moment and let his body soak up yet more energy, combining it with his rage. "I want twenty darts of iron to pierce him where he stands," he urged his inner self. He raised his hand and aimed it at the druid. Eoric felt the raw power surge down his arm and then twenty darts were racing across the gap to rip into the druid. Each hit blew through the druid's flesh and out through his body, in doing so causing him to twist and convulse. Within a fraction of a second he was dead. Nimue was appalled at the energy surge from the boy and knew immediately that she had underestimated him. She watched with satisfaction as Garth ended the life of the old wizard and then he himself was torn apart by an attack from the boy. She had time to cast one last spell and then she knew she would have to run. She admitted to herself that the boy was even more powerful than Merlin and she was certainly no match for him in a stand up fight. She cast her spell and then ran for her horse once more, leaping lightly up onto its back and urging it deeper into the forest. Eoric started to run after the witch when he heard a moan from behind him. He turned and screamed when he saw that Gemma was down, some ghastly black cloud enveloping her. He abandoned ideas of chasing Nimue and ran back to Gemma's side. He reached down and took her hand in his. "This is not good, it's entering her lungs and stopping her from breathing," his inner voice warned. Without further thought, Eoric plunged his own head into the black cloud and searched out Gemma's mouth with his own. He sucked and sucked, drawing all of her breath and the black filth that was in her lungs into his own. When he sensed he had it all, he staggered back and collapsed onto the grass. His last conscious thought was used to send a mental message to the King. "Eochaid King, it is time to weep, time to weep over the death of Merlin the wizard. I hope I've done enough to save Gemma. Come quickly, Sire. She needs your protection." ------- Eochaid had witnessed enough of Eoric's abilities that he didn't question the message that appeared suddenly inside his head. The picture that Eoric's words conjured up dispelled his rage and he cried for guards to attend him as he grabbed his sword, rushed from the Dunadd hall and down the pathway to the plain below. Eoric's message had given him a vague idea of where he was and Eochaid ran full tilt towards the trees off to the west, ten guards following him as fast as they could. They found the site quite quickly and Eochaid rushed first to his daughter. He could see her chest rise and fall so knew she was alive, but her skin was deathly pale. He ordered two of the guards to carry her up to the hall while he moved over to check on Eoric. He could see the boy's lips had turned blue and there was virtually no sign of breathing. Ecohaid's head dropped onto the boy's chest and tears leaked from his eyes. He had grown very fond of Eoric in the short time he had known him and this death hit him very hard indeed. He staggered to his feet and ordered two more guards to carry Eoric up to the fort and then made his way over to the two bodies he could see lying in the grass. The stab wounds in Merlin's chest and the dagger lying on the ground made it easy to see what had happened here. The wizards heart-blood had welled up through the wounds and the entire front of his grey robe was now saturated with it. Eochaid didn't even take any comfort from the recognition that the other body was that of the druid Garth. He could see multiple wounds on the body, many wounds and it looked as if he had died a terrible death after all. More guards came forward to lift Merlin's body and carry it away. Eochaid walked forward and kicked the dead druid's face as hard as he could before turning and staggering back toward the fort himself. When he made his way into the hall, Eochaid could see that Gemma had already begun to regain some skin colour and her breathing was stronger. She was laid out on a table and he crossed to hold her hand. He looked down on her, but jumped back when she screamed and sat up, her eyes wide with alarm. Eochaid pressed forward once more and brought her into his arms, hugging her and stroking her hair in an effort to comfort her. "What happened?" she mumbled into his chest, "I remember being in the field and then I was surrounded by a thick black cloud. I couldn't breathe and then Eoric kissed me and it was as if a tight band had been removed from my chest. Eoric! Where is he?" Eochaid used all of his strength to try and restrain her, but she surprised him by being able to push him away. She swung her legs off of the table and stood up making her way over to the table where Eoric was laid out. She took his hand and tears brimmed her eyes. Perhaps her strength in pushing her father away should have been a clue, but Gemma hadn't picked up on it. Her connection to Eoric earlier when he had been feeding her the connection to nature had left some residual energy within her and the last remnants of it now allowed Eoric's inner voice to speak to her. "We can barely keep him alive, he needs to breathe soon or we will all die. You need to submerge his head under water and keep it there." As quickly as the voice came to her it was gone, leaving her wondering if she had really heard it at all. She decided she had to trust in Eoric's abilities. "Father, help me with him. Someone get me a bucket filled with water!" she cried. A bucket of water was produced and Eochaid helped Gemma lift Eoric and turn his body over. Gemma supported his upper body and let his head sink into and below the surface of the water. Eochaid looked on helplessly, wondering exactly what was going on. Gemma kept his head under the water and after a few minutes she could see the water turning black. She called for another bucket and replaced the first one, letting Eoric's head submerge into the water once more. The water changed colour once more, but this time it wasn't as black as the first one had been. Another bucket of clean water was substituted and Eoric's head was allowed to enter the water. This time his head had been under the water for perhaps a minute when bubbles began to rise to the surface. Gemma grabbed Eoric's hair and pulled his head out of the water. He coughed several times and then his eyes blinked open and he smiled at her. By now tears of joy and relief were blinding her and she hugged him, mindless of the water streaming from his hair and soaking his clothes. Eoric allowed his body to soak up energy to replenish himself and soon was able to sit up. The King was still staring at him, unsure of what had just happened and how his daughter had known what to do. ------- Chapter 12 Eoric had to explain to Gemma and Eochaid what had happened to him. Gemma had acted on the instructions of his inner voice, but she still didn't know what had taken place out in the field. Eochaid was completely in the dark about the events outside and what had just taken place with the buckets of water. He had been convinced that Eoric was in fact dead and his sudden resurrection had stunned him. "I had to save you, my love. Nothing else mattered. I sucked up all of the evil blackness that was filling your lungs. Unfortunately that meant that I couldn't breathe, as it was then in my lungs. Somehow my inner self kept me alive until you helped me get rid of the foul vapour," Eoric said. "But how did you survive with your head underwater?" asked Eochaid. "The Uruisge is a water faery and it can breathe underwater. When my head was submerged, the water from the buckets entered my lungs and washed out the vapour and I was able to draw the air I needed from the water. I think the spell that Nimue cast was designed to work only in air, not in water. So basically the water cleansed my lungs and I was able to breathe again," answered Eoric. "But how did Gemma know that she had to put you're head in water? How did she know that would help revive you?" "When I held Eoric's hand I heard a voice in my head telling me what I had to do," said Gemma. Eochaid shook his head in bewilderment. He would just have to come to terms with the fact that strange things happened around Eoric. In any event, he was hugely relieved that the boy was alive and well, no matter how that had come about. There was a strange mixture of emotions felt by all three - joy and relief that Eoric and Gemma had survived, but tempered by deep sadness at the loss of Merlin. Eochaid walked over to look down at the wizard. He took Merlin's dead hands and folded them across his chest. "We will need to give him a fitting funeral," he said. "I think he will be happy now that he has re-joined his beloved Arthur. I could sense the depth of his grief when I was connected to him," said Eoric, "you can pay him a fitting tribute, Sire, by carrying out his wish to see the Celts unite and defeat the Picts." "I planned on campaigning against the savages anyway, but it may be that there is room for some of the other clans to join me," Eochaid replied. "Even King Beli?" Eoric asked. "Aye, even him if he has a mind to," Eochaid sighed. ------- Nimue had returned to her cave. Merlin was dead so he no longer threatened her. That just left the boy, Eoric, for her to deal with. She had lost her trusty servant Garth, but she now had a new agent, one that would serve her well she thought. She had been devious in the extreme when she had cast her last spell during the fight with Merlin and Eoric. She had gambled that Eoric would be able to save the girl and survive himself, his strength had convinced her that he would manage that somehow. Her gamble had been that the vapour choking off the girl's breath was really a ruse to help hide the true nature of the spell, which was to give her control of the princess. She hoped Eoric would be so busy with the visible and potentially deadly elements of the spell that he would miss the tiny seed she had planted in the girl's head. Even if he were connected with her he would struggle to identify the seed as it was so small, but it was enough to allow her to see and hear everything that the girl could. "Yes, I think this might just work out if I play it slowly," she thought to herself. ------- Eochaid decided Merlin should be given the honour of burial on Iona. He suggested to Eoric that they should make the most of the trip by having the Abbot perform the marriage service for himself and Gemma while they were there. Eoric was a little dubious about that, fearing that Gemma might not like to have her marriage in the shadow of a funeral. Perhaps that wasn't how she would want to remember what should be a special day for her. "I think we should ask Gemma how she would feel about that, Sire. I can foresee some annoyance at sharing her marriage with a funeral. That's not the best combination perhaps," said Eoric. However, Gemma was just happy that the marriage was going to happen at all and had no concerns about it being so close to Merlin's funeral. She immediately began rushing around making various arrangements and left Eoric and the King to organise Merlin's funeral. A few days later a party of about forty set out for Crinan and the voyage across the sea to little Iona. Merlin's body had been washed and prepared for burial and was wrapped in a pure white shroud. They rode slowly as a sign of respect for the old wizard and as a consequence it took them some hours to reach the little port. The body was handled with reverence as it was carried aboard ship and laid in the prow. Gemma had kept her wardrobe a secret and two packhorses were required for all of her baggage. Eoric wisely chose not to enquire what she had packed, already becoming wiser in the ways of women. From the outset those on board the ship knew that this was no ordinary voyage. Four dolphins took up station and swam just ahead of the ship, forming some kind of guard of honour for the wizard's last journey. Eoric sensed their mourning and the respect they had for Merlin. He listened to them sing their own lament, their clicking sounds rising on the sea breeze in a strangely haunting refrain. The ship sailed into the bay at Iona in the early afternoon and the entire population of the island was there to meet them. The dolphins circled the ship until it reached shallower water then all four raised themselves to stand on their tails and 'walked' backwards, clicking loudly in a final salute then they dived and raced out to sea. Eoric heard a rumble of thunder and looked up to see that the fine summer's day was rapidly giving way to a summer thunderstorm. The thought of burying Merlin in the midst of thunder and lightning appealed to him somehow and he allowed himself a little smile. The body was handled carefully once more as it was lifted ashore. Eight of the monks came forward to bear Merlin towards the little graveyard where the Kings of Dalriada were traditionally laid to rest. The party from the ship fell in behind the monks to march solemnly along, their heads bowed in silent mourning. As the monks reached the grass above the beach, a series of bird cries reached them and twenty Merlins rocketed over them, barely two feet above their heads. The Merlins were all male birds, with a blue-grey plumage on their backs and orange tinted and speckled plumage on their fronts. They were extremely impressive and none there present had ever seen birds acting like this before. The monks in particular began to watch the hawks anxiously. The birds wheeled around and flew back again, turned and raced back to the graveyard and landed on the dry stone wall. Their beady eyes watched the procession coming towards them and glared at the Abbot who was already waiting beside an open grave to receive the wizard's body. The weather almost seemed to have been orchestrated, as jagged forks of lightning began to flash dramatically and the thunder rolled and crashed around the island. The actual internment of Merlin's body was a simple affair, probably as he would have wished it to be. The Abbot said some words over the body as it was lowered and the monks chanted. Eochaid led the mourners in filing past the open grave to pay his last respects and then the monks manhandled a slab of stone to cover over the grave. As the stone was laid in place the Merlins took to the air once more, circling above the graveyard and then they plummeted one by one. Their wings were laid back and they rocketed towards the grave, swooping out of their dives at the last second, mere feet from the gravestone. This time the birds didn't wheel and come back, instead they flew in single file due eastwards back towards the mainland, their tribute apparently over. No sooner had they gone than the skies opened and a deluge of heavy rain poured down on all those gathered for the funeral, almost as if the heavens themselves were weeping for the departed wizard. Everyone hurried into the main hall of the monastery building where the monk had laid out a huge feast for them. Meat, fish, bread as well as whisky and ale lightened the mood a little, but it was clear no one was in the mood for a party. Eoric was sitting at a table with Gemma and the King; quietly reflecting on the man they just buried. It had been an emotional day, particularly as he had been connected to the dolphins and the Merlins and he had been wrapped up in the thunder and lightning too. He had been sure his future was to have been linked to the wizard's somehow and now he felt an emptiness that he didn't know how to fill. "It seems as if my body has left you, but my spirit is still around, young Eoric. I have been moved by all of this, but a little embarrassed too. The dolphins and the Merlins were a nice touch by the way." Eoric was stunned to hear Merlin's voice in his head. "How are you doing that? You're dead, I saw you die and I've just attended your funeral," Eoric thought. "Your guess is as good as mine. I am without a body, but able to contact you it seems, so perhaps the future that you have sensed for us both might still be possible. My spirit is able to roam at will, wherever I direct it and that might prove useful to you." "Merlin, I had nothing to do with the dolphins and the Merlins. They appeared without any intervention on my part. Nature obviously felt your passing and responded in its own way, unaware obviously that you're still around." A broad smile had appeared on Eoric's face as he conversed mentally with Merlin. Gemma could see he had become a little distant and watched as he changed from mourning Merlin's passing to suddenly having a grin on his face. She was intrigued by this and tugged his arm. "I hope your change in mood represents a change in your thoughts from Merlin and his death to our union, my love," she said "I promised that there will be no secrets between us my love," he replied, "my smile would have been broader yet if I had been considering being joined with you for life. No, this was something else." Eoric took Gemma's hand in his and closed his eyes, forging a link between them and letting his energy flow across the thread into her. Gemma jerked as she felt the surge of energy flow through her and then she heard a voice she never expected to hear again. "Hello, Gemma. It seems I have been granted the opportunity of continuing to look after this errant soon to be husband of yours. I promise to try and look after him and teach him well." "Merlin? How? Oh, sweet Jesu! We have just lowered you into the grave, but I am beginning to expect the unexpected with this man of mine. Nothing is as it seems. I rejoice that you can be with him, to guide him it may be. Gemma looked deep into her future husband's eyes and smiled with him. The solemn funeral and wake had changed into a celebration for them both. Merlin wasn't gone completely. Two days later, with the sunshine bright and warm once more, the Abbot stood beside a makeshift altar on the grass in preparation for the marriage ceremony. Eoric stood in front of the altar and waited for his bride to arrive. He was clearly nervous and kept glancing over his shoulder to see whether Gemma was there or not. He refrained from trying to link with her, but the lack of a connection allowed his imagination to run wild and he was in the process of convincing himself she had changed her mind at the last moment. There was a great deal of relief therefore when he spotted her on perhaps his fiftieth look. She was simply stunning. She was wearing a plain white gown that she had contrasted with two sashes of emerald green. The sashes crossed her upper body diagonally, emphasising her breasts and they carried on down her back to appear as an edging for a twenty foot white train to the dress. Eoric managed to continue functioning and thought of one additional touch that could help set off the picture of loveliness that was his soon to be wife. He focussed on the monastery dovecote and twelve white doves suddenly came fluttering down, spacing themselves out and lifting Gemma's train between them so that it was just off of the ground. The watching islanders gasped at this and then applauded, as Gemma's face transformed from worry and concern to delight at Eoric's romantic gesture. Eochaid was leading his daughter forward and he too smiled at the moment. He decided once more that he had made a good decision in allowing this union to go ahead, Eoric would make a good husband for his daughter he knew. As Gemma drew closer, Eoric took in how well the emerald sashes on the dress complimented and brought highlights to her green eyes and her wonderful long, soft red tresses. He gulped at just how beautiful she looked and he realised it was really going to happen - he was going to marry a princess. The ceremony was short and included the traditional vows. While the words to these were well known, Eochaid thought they had probably never been repeated with such obvious love and devotion. He could see the looks on both Eoric and Gemma's faces and it was almost as if nothing else existed for the pair in that moment. Eoric had not been idle since he had asked Gemma to marry him. He had used his connection to the earth to seek out a small deposit of Scottish gold in the mountains of Dalriada and he had ridden out to the spot, using his abilities to extract the gold from the ground. He had managed to slip away often enough to work at the Dunadd forge to shape a matching pair of gold wedding bands and these were now brought forward on a small plate by Eochaid. The Abbot intoned the words as they exchanged rings and they repeated them. "With this ring I thee wed," said Eoric. "With this ring I thee wed," said Gemma. And then they kissed as he pronounced them man and wife. The couple were carried shoulder high by the crowd to the monastery hall where another feast had been prepared, this one a lot more lively than the wake two days before. There was dancing and singing and of course quite a bit of drinking too, before the two of them managed to slip away to spend their first night together as man and wife. ------- The Kingdom of Dalriada or Earra-Ghàidheal (modern day Argyll, literally place of the Gaels) had a number of sub-divisions, the main ones being, Ceann Tire (modern day Kintyre) and Latharna (modern day Lorne). Eochaid ruled all the lands as King, but had lords in the sub divisions to help in this. His son, Domnall Brecc, was Lord of Kintyre, but the lordship of Lorne had lain vacant for some years. Eochaid had planned a surprise for Eoric, one that would hopefully repay him in some measure for saving his life and helping to free Dalriada. It would also serve to tie Eoric to Dalriada more closely and help the young man keep Gemma in proper style for a King's daughter. When the party from the mainland had all gathered the next day for their planned return to Crinan, Eochaid called Eoric forward. "Eoric, all know the story of how your powers of healing saved me from the poison of the druid. For that I am forever in your debt. Fewer perhaps know the extent to which we all owe thanks for the part you have played in freeing this Dalriada from its invaders, but it would not have been possible without you. "My esteem for you as a man has already been demonstrated by the hand in marriage of my only daughter, but today I would go further still. Let all here bear witness to the face that I name Eoric, now Eoric mac Eochaid, as Lord or Lorne!" "What? Sire, it is too much, an ancient lordship, not for the likes of me," Eoric spluttered. "You will need to learn not to gainsay your King, my Lord," smiled Eochaid, "I can think of none more fitted to take over the rule of the lordship and I know the people of Lorne will serve you well." Gemma hugged Eoric and congratulated him on his sudden elevation. His marriage and now being made a Lord had perhaps changed his position almost as much as the moment he had absorbed the faeries. His abilities were largely private and hidden from most folk, but his marriage and the lordship were very public changes in his status amongst the people of Dalriada. From a lowly apprentice blacksmith without a village, to Lord of Lorne - Eoric shook his head at the dizzying rise to prominence and all at only sixteen years of age. ------- The summer solstice was a traditional festival for the Celts, but increasingly the Columban monks had been trying to overlay the pagan rite with elements of Christianity in an effort to convert the populace. Eochaid had chosen to use the celebration as the launching point for his campaign against the Picts and he was riding to the stone circle at Cille Mhàrtainn (modern day Kilmartin) with a small party of mounted troops. The King had asked Eoric to meet him there so they could discuss their plans for the next month. Eochaid hoped they could use that time before they then had to disband their hosts so they could gather in the harvest. Eoric rode with twenty men from his new lordship of Lorne and felt strange to be away from Gemma for the first time since they had wed. She had been calm about the parting, as she knew he would return within a few days to lead his full host of seven hundred into battle. Gemma knew this second parting would be much more difficult for her given the danger he would be riding into. Eoric rode south down Kilmartin Glen until he reached the stones. He had never been here before and his senses prickled as he neared the site. He was getting used to soaking up energy from nature now, but he hadn't yet come across anything as significant as this. There was a huge reservoir of energy centred on not one but two stone circles in the glen. He maintained his focus on the circle that had slabs of stone sticking up out of the ground and other slabs lying horizontally on top of these. He could sense this was the more powerful of the two. He dismounted and walked forward, touching one of the upright stones that was perhaps eight feet in height. He walked between the stones into the circle itself and had to concentrate hard to ensure his body did not absorb any energy, as the surge was so strong. "We should have warned you about these places. As you can feel, they are filled with energy, energy accumulated down through the ages and you are a natural conduit for it. That's why you have to concentrate to stop it from leaking into your body. It's probably best if you don't remain in the circle too long," said his inner voice. Eoric walked back out of the circle and felt the insistent surge slacken off, but he was still aware of the awesome power centred on the area. He mounted his horse and led his small party further down the glen to where a small camp could be seen. Although it was only a small settlement, with only perhaps ten low stone built huts, King Eochaid had commandeered accommodation for himself and urged Eoric to do likewise. Eoric chose to remain outside with his men rather than displace one of the local families, a move that certainly endeared him to the people of Kilmartin. He might be a new lord, but he understood how important it was to keep the people of his lordship on his side and this Kilmartin was in Lorne. Eoric rested with his men and waited for the hour of the celebration to arrive. All had been prepared very sensitively, so that the old in the form of the druids could celebrate alongside the new in the form of the Columban monks. The celebration was a strictly all male affair and began with the local Abbot calling for a blessing on all present before he then distributed the sacrament. The 'congregation' were all gathered within the stone circle and Eoric found himself having to hop from one foot to the other, as it became increasingly difficult to resist the power surge from the ground beneath him. Eochaid waited for the Columban Abbot to complete the service of thanksgiving and praise for the bounty that God had seen fit to bless Dalriada with and then strode forward to make his announcement with regard to his intention to make war on the Picts. His declaration was met with wild approval and cheers (possibly at least in part down to the fact that many in the crowd had already enjoyed a fair amount of Uisge Beatha - whisky). Eoric continued to hop from side to side, feeling his hair begin to stand up and hearing little blasts of energy crackling around his head. The pagan element of the celebration got underway as soon as Eochaid had finished speaking and everyone was sure the Columbans had removed themselves. Two druids brought a bull into the circle and one produced a ceremonial blade. Prayers were offered up to the gods and goddesses and then the bull's throat was cut by one swipe of the blade. A wooden bowl was held into the resulting flow of bright arterial blood, in preparation for the 'blooding' ceremony the druids would carry out. In the 'blooding', each man would step forward and the druid would tip his finger into the bull's blood and smear it on the man's forehead. Before that, the bull's heart had to be pierced with the dagger and the druid with the blade prepared himself to do that. He raised the blade above his head in both hands and began chanting. Eoric had felt the blood from the bull seep into the soil and if anything the energy surge grew more powerful. When the druid raised the blade on high he felt pain shoot through his entire body and the scene within the circle faded and was replaced by another. He saw Eochaid leading an army of Celts against the Picts once more. Surprisingly, King Beli was also in the thick of the fighting and others who looked like Celtic Lords. It was almost as if the 'vision' was on fast forward as battle after battle between the Celts and the Picts played out, all of them in different locations and by the looks of things, different times of year. After the first ten or so battles, Eochaid disappeared and other leaders were at the forefront of the Celtic hosts. The scenery for the fighting looked more rugged and mountainous, as if the locations were moving steadily northwards and the Picts were being pushed further and further back. At last a final battle played out and a man stood victorious on the field, his sword held high. "I, Kenneth mac Alpin, claim all of these lands for Scotland. Who dares to challenge my right and might?" The scene faded and another replaced it. This one showed the same standing stone circle at Kilmartin, but in a much sorrier state. Of the forty or so stones, more than half had been pushed over and only two retained their horizontal slabs. Beyond the circle stood a stone church, the Christian cross standing high above its little tower and monks were busy tending nearby fields. Eoric's eyes cleared and he found everyone in the stone circle staring at him with fear and amazement. The druids were openly scowling at him, hatred burning nakedly in their eyes. "Eoric, what is going on man?" asked King Eochaid at his side. "What? I'm sorry, Sire, I don't feel well. Perhaps it was the sight of the bull's blood," Eoric responded sheepishly. "No, my Lord of Lorne. You spoke to us, admit it. You have the power of 'sight' haven't you? You have just shared the future with us. "Hear me all of you, here is a wonder! A vision of the Celts united and victorious against the savage Picts, victorious again and again until the Picts are no more! And on top of that a vision that tells of the Columban churches' victory also, victory over the old ways and acceptance of Christ. What further sign do we need that we are on the right path my friends? None I say, for here is a sure portent that my planned war with the heathenish Picts is a just and righteous one. To victory I say!" The crowd recovered themselves as the King's voice rang out over them and by the time he had finished his impromptu speech, his oratory powers had them cheering and proclaiming a Celtic victory. After the celebrations were over, Eochaid pulled Eoric towards the small house he had commandeered and began to question him more closely. He wanted details of the battles and the time period over which they had been fought. He was particularly interested in who 'Kenneth mac Alpin' might be and why he had used the name Scotland. Eoric of course was only able to supply some of the answers, as he had as little idea of who Kenneth mac Alpin was as Eochaid. The King had to be satisfied with the fragments of information that he was able to provide. Eochaid moved on to discuss the details of the forthcoming campaign against the Picts. They shared details of numbers and the pros and cons of various places to begin their attacks. Eoric suggested that he use his abilities with camouflage once more to gather much needed intelligence. There would be no need to delay setting out and indeed, more information would help them target the use of their forces to maximum effect. Eochaid agreed that made sense and they agreed to meet up at the juncture of Glen Orchy and Glen Lochy in two days time with their full forces. ------- Chapter 13 Nimue had watched the comings and goings over the past few weeks through Gemma's eyes. She had sneered to herself as the princess rushed around making her wedding arrangements and smiled at the sombre mood of those around her who were still badly affected by Merlin's death. The Lady of the Loch had been with the girl as the little party had ridden to Crinan and once more she sneered at the sentimentality of the dolphin tribute and the flypast of the Merlins. Her smile had returned as she had watched the wizard's body lowered into the ground. The smile had been wiped from her face however, when Eoric had connected with Gemma and Nimue heard Merlin's voice inside the princess's head. "How is this possible?" she asked herself, a chill running down her spine, as she realised that she might yet have to defeat the wizard once more. Nimue almost felt physically sick at the sickly sweet and romantic joining of the young couple, but consoled herself by vowing the union wouldn't last long. No, she would deal with the boy soon and then the princess wouldn't be so maddeningly happy all the time. When she looked through Gemma's eyes and recognised that Eoric was making preparations to go to war, she realised she would need to follow him, as he would most certainly leave the girl behind. Her flow of information was all through the princess currently and if she wanted to keep abreast of where he was and what he was doing, she would need to follow. "Who knows, perhaps war might offer me an opportunity of dealing with the brat," she thought to herself. ------- Eoric rode beside the senior lieutenant for the Lorne lordship, Iain mac Finlay. Behind them there was a mix of one hundred horsed men and six hundred infantry and they made a stirring sight in the bright sunshine of late June. There was almost a carnival atmosphere as the host marched through the Argyll countryside, along the side of Loch Awe and on towards the planned rendezvous with Eochaid. The hills and mountainsides were covered in heather and Eoric could see the buds of the heather flowers beginning to form. In perhaps six weeks the entire area would be awash in a glorious purple colour as the heather bloomed. He smiled at the thought, there were few finer sights than a purple hued mountainside with the sunshine on it. Just at the point Glen Orchy and Glen Lochy converged, Eochaid was waiting less than patiently with a further twelve hundred Dalriada stalwarts. Eoric and Iain rode forward to greet the King. "Well me, Sire. I might have difficulties with the thought of war and death, even the death of Picts, but I have no problems with what Mother Nature has provided as a back cloth," Eoric said, looking around himself. "Aye, well met indeed, my Lord of Lorne. Leave the killing up to others if it offends your sensibilities, Eoric. Just so long as you direct your men well and the best way to do that is by gathering the intelligence we need so badly," replied the King. Their planned line of march was firstly up Glen Lochy and Eoric and the King now rode side by side at the head of their combined host. Eoric was pre-occupied as he gazed up at Ben Lui, rising over three thousand seven hundred feet above them on their right. Two small parties of ten horsemen each were riding ahead to scout out the way and to ensure the larger force was not ambushed or caught by surprise. "You still believe that Atholl and Tay make the most sense for our first strike?" Eochaid asked. "I do, Sire. There are a number of likely spots in close proximity there where smaller groupings of the Picts might be found. A campaign that rolls through a number of their settlements before they have the chance to muster will greatly weaken this area I think," replied Eoric. "Aye, you might well have the rights of it. Let us hope so, for my blade is near weeping for the lack of blood to quench its thirst," Eochaid said grimly. One day of slow marching, the infantry weighed down with goods, made twelve miles and brought them to midway down Strath Fillan. Eoric suggested it was time he went forward alone to begin to scout the area ahead and pinpoint the targets that they might attack. He could already sense the presence of people a few miles ahead and warned Eochaid so. They had brought a guide who claimed to know the lay of the land they were aiming to campaign through and from him Eoric had learned that the largest centre for the Picts was likely to be Baile Chloichridh (modern day Pitlochry). Eoric was going to try to make his way there, guided he hoped by his ability to sense the presence of other humans from some miles away. He waited until it was dark and then slipped out of the camp. He had already left instructions with Iain for the following day - basically to do what the King told him - and he let his connection to Mother Nature provide him with energy and information as he moved up the remainder of Strath Fillan. Eoric began to run, slipping into the rhythm and gait that he had used in the past to eat up the miles. The night was dark as the moon was waning, but his senses helped keep him running through the countryside without faltering. He had been running for only twenty minutes - a distance of perhaps five miles - when his senses told him he was very close to humans now. He smiled to himself as he realised he could travel further in an hour than the entire Dalriada force could march in a day. He shook himself and started to concentrate on those around him. He was 'aware' that there were a hundred or so people in the group and they had domesticated animals close to them. The chances were it was a steading of some kind, looking after a herd of sheep or cattle. Eoric slowed his speed as he neared the area where the humans were - an area described by their guide as A' Chrìon Làraich (modern day Crianlarich). He could tell that the vast majority of them were in fact asleep, but a dozen remained awake and they were spread out as if they were keeping watch over the camp through the night. He crept closer to the first individual, close enough to watch what he was doing and then 'reached' out to link with the man and listen to his thoughts. At first all Eoric received was a jumble of unintelligible grunts and noises. He sat back on his heels in the darkness, puzzled by his inability to hear the man's thoughts. The night was eerily quiet around him apart from the high pitched 'sonic pinging' of bats that were flitting around overhead. He knew no other human could hear that sound and he blocked it out too. "Why can't I hear his thoughts?" he asked his inner self. "You can, you're just not interpreting them so you can understand them. Remember, these are Picts. Their language is different to your own, but that shouldn't be a problem as you have access to all the lore we had before and understanding languages is most certainly included in that. Try simply focussing on being able to hear in Pictish. That should do it. Eoric did exactly that and was surprised when he immediately began to hear the thoughts of the man who was keeping watch not ten yards away from him. It became clear at once that the man was not comfortable in the dark. His thoughts betrayed a deep sense of superstition and some of the images the man was conjuring up for himself, images of creatures he believed inhabited the night, were guaranteed to frighten anyone. Eoric quickly skimmed through the man's mind to gather details of the camp, how many people there was, how many were of fighting age and why the camp was here. It was as he had guessed; the camp was based on the maintenance of a herd of cattle, quite a large herd for the times with over a hundred and sixty head close by. That number of cattle was a very valuable commodity, representing milk, cream, and cheese, as well as beef. That explained why there were so many people based with the herd. Eoric's scan identified that the vast majority of the people here were men of fighting age, although he identified six women and twelve children too. He had a sudden surge of guilt as he recognised that these people were possibly going to be dead within the next few days, but thrust it aside as he tried to maintain his focus on a united Celtic front, strong and secure enough to defend themselves against the Saxons. That undoubtedly meant that they had to deal with the Picts first and then begin to really build up their strength. Satisfied that he had learned all there was to learn about this camp, he quietly circled the other guards and now struck out eastwards, running up Glen Dochart and finding the source of a river that ran east along the foot of mighty Ben More. He stopped here to gaze up at the mountain, over three thousand eight hundred feet high and an imposing landmark even in the dark of night. Once more he could sense the mountains deep roots, going down much further than it climbed above the earth. He started running again, following the river as it wound its way across the country, up Glen Dochart, forming a musical waterfall at Cill Fhinn (modern day Killin) and into Loch Tay. Around an hour and a half later he had travelled a further twenty miles and was within a few miles of the place he had been heading for all along - Pitlochry. He had sensed four or five other small camps as he had run, but didn't stop to investigate these too closely. They would in all likelihood be the same as the first camp he had come across at Crianlarich. Now he could 'feel' a far bigger presence ahead of him with some eight hundred people gathered together his senses suggested. This was far more substantial than a mere steading and his connection to the earth told him of the numbers of structures as well as the numbers of people. Eoric was pleasantly surprised when a picture of what the camp looked like appeared in his head and he was able to consider the scale of it, the layout and even identify the most significant buildings. He used this 'map' in his head to negotiate his way through the various buildings, making his way in the general direction of what he assumed was the hall-house of what would pass as a chieftain for the place. This late at night/early in the morning the hall-house was deserted and quiet, but Eoric could sense a number of people within the structure. One of these in particular caught his interest due to the waves of strong emotion that she was sending out. He could detect fear, anger, sadness and above all loneliness and he let these guide him towards the person who was sending them out. Silently he slipped down a narrow and low roofed passageway and found himself outside the entrance to what seemed like a bedchamber. The emotions were even stronger here and he paused for a moment to tune in to them. He carefully slipped through the entrance, squeezing himself between the wall and the drape that was acting as a door and found that there was indeed a bedchamber beyond. A young woman sat on the edge of a bed, her head bowed, face in hands, as she wept her heart out. She had long hair the colour of cornstalks and it looked fine and silken Eoric thought. From what he could see of her, hunched over as she was, she seemed small and slim and wore a simple linen shift. He reached out to connect with her, expecting to read her thoughts in the same strange Pictish language that he had heard already that night. He was surprised therefore when for the second time he heard only a jumble of sounds with no clarity to them. "Waken oh wise ones within me and tell me what language I need to learn now," he joked with his inner self." He was surprised to hear that he needed to tune in to the language of the Saxons and focussed on doing so. At once the woman's thoughts became clear and he listened with growing anger and concern at what was going through her head. "He will have been drinking and whoring again and no doubt he'll return around lunchtime, smelling like the filthy savage he is and ready to beat me for his enjoyment once more." The women snuffled as she let herself remember the constant heavy beatings she had been subjected to. Eoric quickly skimmed her memories and found that the woman was the daughter of a Saxon Lord and had been captured during a raid by the Picts into Bernicia. Her captor had kept her almost as a slave, raping and beating her as he saw fit. Anarg, his name was and Eoric was already beginning to think he would like to meet the man. He read that her own name was Sarah. "I should sleep, but I cannot. I know what's ahead of me, another beating. Oh, I am so lonely, no one to talk to, no one to confide in, no one to turn to. I would give anything for just a little crumb of comfort in my miserable existence." Eoric was appalled to read that Sarah had actually begun to look forward to her own rape as the only time she had any direct contact with Anarg that didn't involve him punching and kicking her. She had perversely begun to take some comfort from the sexual congress, despite the fact that she was unwilling and Anarg treated her roughly even then. The depths of her despair and her renewed tears reached out to him and without thinking he moved behind her on the bed and put his arms round her to comfort her. His touch startled Sarah and she straightened up, looking down at where she could feel arms around her waist and hands lightly stroking her stomach. It was perhaps a measure of how desperate she was that instead of screaming when she couldn't see any arms or hands, she instead pulled her legs up onto the bed and lay down full length, languishing in the feeling of being held. It had been so long since she had felt or even dreamed of a touch so light and re-assuring and for some reason she couldn't bear to part herself from it. She was lying on her side and Eoric was careful not to let his body get to near her back as he thought that might be just too much for her. He let his hands continue to gently rub over the muscles of her stomach then moved his left arm to allow that hand to begin rubbing her back and shoulders. Sarah moaned out loud at this treatment and her tears began to stream down her face once more. Eoric was pleased to read that these were tears of a different sort to the ones she had cried only moments before. He continued to stroke and soothe her until he felt her drift off to sleep, the hint of an upward curl to the corners of her mouth. Once Sarah was asleep, Eoric managed to extricate himself and move back to stand beside the bed. He looked down on her sleeping form and took in the slight build; the slim hips and apple sized breasts. She certainly was a stunning woman and one deserving of a better life than the one she was experiencing currently. He guessed that this Anarg was the one he was interested in finding out more about. He was the leader here at Pitlochry and it was his experience in battle and ideas on strategy and tactics that Eoric was here to read. These were the things that would possibly give the Celts an advantage when they attacked this place he knew. He picked out a spot against one wall and sat down to watch over Sarah and wait for the drunken and carousing savage leader to return. Some hours later Eoric sensed Sarah begin to waken. He was pleased to read the pleasant memory she held in her head of the moments before she had fallen asleep. She smiled to herself and he smiled with her at her next thought. "That's it, I've finally gone mad because I could have sworn there was someone holding me last night. The arms felt so real around me and the hands so soft and gentle as they comforted me. It must take real madness, real desperation to want something so badly that a person can imagine it with such richness, so much that it seemed real. Oh, but it was so good while it lasted." Eoric could read more and found that, as a Lord's daughter, Sarah had been lonely as a child and she had invented a friend for herself, a girl who she had called Tansy. Sarah was now rationalising that what she had felt the night before was a similar way of dealing with her loneliness as that she had as a child. She was even imagining that it had actually been Tansy who had returned to comfort her - she was sure only a woman's hands could have felt so gentle. The smile on Sarah's face disappeared as a gruff voice shouted out from down the passageway. Eoric recognised the language as Pictish and smiled to himself as he realised he was about to meet Anarg. "Where are you? You lazy Saxon slut!" he shouted, as he clumped towards the bedchamber. Sarah physically shrunk and backed into a corner of the room. When Anarg pulled the drape aside and entered the room the first thing Eoric noticed was the smell of the man. Wild beasts that rolled over in their own shit smelled pleasant compared to this. The man was short, but squat, with very broad shoulders. He wore ragged animal skins that were cinched at the waist with a leather belt. The belt held a sword and a sharp looking dagger. His hair was long and matted with lumps of who knows what sticking to it and his beard and moustache were in a similar state. When he opened his mouth to growl at Sarah again, Eoric could see that his teeth were blackened stumps. "I've told you before what I expect from you. You skinny, useless runt," growled Anarg, "you're not even worth fucking you're so skinny. Get out there in the hall and clean the tables and floor like you're supposed to. That's all you're good for, cleaning floors on you're knees!" Anarg crossed the room with surprising speed and grabbed Sarah by her fine yellow hair. He pulled back his other hand, the fist clenched, ready to deliver a punch to her face. Eoric saw Sarah close her eyes and wince in anticipation. He walked up behind the Pict and grabbed the fist as it swung back, applying pressure to it so that the bones grated harshly against one another. Anarg screamed and dropped his other hand from Sarah's hair, feeling himself being launched across the chamber where he crashed into the stone wall. As he lay groaning on the floor he heard a voice in his head as Eoric projected his thoughts. "Try to hit her again and I will be forced to kill you. Now leave her, before I start to lose my temper. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry." Anarg scrambled to his feet and rushed from the room as fast as he could. Sarah stood like a statue, shock on her face at what she had just witnessed. She had been steeling herself for the blow she knew was coming when Anarg had cried out. When she had opened her eyes, she had taken in his fist frozen behind him and then he had let go of her hair and had flown across the room. Moments later she had watched open-mouthed as he had rushed from the room, a look of absolute terror on his face. She felt arms come around her once more and let herself relax into them, leaning backwards slightly until her back came to rest on the chest of her ghostly saviour. She closed her eyes and let the relief of avoiding the beating mingle with the pleasure of once more being held. She felt a hand leave her waist and rise to brush her hair from her neck and ear. Lips softly kissed the skin at the nape of her neck making her shiver at their tenderness. "Tansy, is that you? Have you come back to save me?" she whispered out loud. She felt something hard poking her in the rear and gasped. She had been raped often enough by the foul smelling Anarg to know what it was and, without thinking she whirled round to look at the man who was holding her. Eoric realised he had gone too far and had startled the woman. His hard cock had been a natural reaction to holding someone as beautiful as her, but he regretted his lack of self-control. He stepped back quickly so she wouldn't bump into him when she turned and then nimbly stepped to the side to get behind her once more. He watched her reach out a hand to probe the air where he had been standing moments before. When she found nothing, she turned and dashed from the room, barely missing Eoric as she passed. He remained connected with her enough to hear her thoughts as she ran off. "It is a spirit, a ghost! I am losing my mind, how could I have dreamed it was an imaginary friend. Imaginary friends can't throw brute beasts like Anarg across a room. Sweet Jesu save me, I am being haunted, held in the arms of a ghost!" Eoric was concerned about her state of mind, but decided he had done all he could for her. She would calm down and hopefully she would be spared the beatings in future. He had taken the opportunity of scouring Anarg's thoughts when he had gripped him to throw him across the room, so he had all the information he had come for and there was no reason to hang around the camp any longer. He made his way carefully through the camp, matching the view of it in the daylight with the mental image he had conjured up in the darkness the night before. He knew these details could prove useful so he took his time and made a mental note of anything he thought might be of value. Once clear of the camp and sure there was no one close by, he broke into a run and started back for Eochaid and the Dalriadan force. The run took him under two hours in the daylight and he was with the King before midday. Eochaid was clearly impatient to fall upon the first camp of Picts, but Eoric cautioned against this. He explained the geography ahead and the fact that he had sensed a number of camps along the way to Pitlochry. Better by far he suggested, to send the mounted men ahead and to have them work back towards their current position so that any fleeing Picts would be heading away from the larger settlement. That way there would be a better chance of being able to fall on Pitlochry with surprise in their favour. Eochaid warmed to this plan immediately and decided he himself would lead the mounted force, leaving Eoric to follow on with the infantry. Eoric was content with that, as it would mean he was less likely to be involved in any significant fighting - and therefore killing - for a while yet. The King now questioned Eoric for every detail he could remember of the terrain and the location of the Picts. He had already ordered the chosen men to mount up and when he was content he had milked every last drop of information out of Eoric, he mounted up himself and the three hundred set off immediately. Eochaid was soon out of sight and Eoric led the infantry down Strath Fillan at a much slower pace, halting them while they were still well short of Crianlarich. He could see the tracks where the King had left the path to skirt the first camp without alerting the Picts. He knew he now had to bide his time until there were signs that Eochaid's sweep down Loch Tayside and through Glen Dochart had been completed. ------- Nimue had ridden across country, guessing at where the Dalriada force would look to strike first. She was currently high on the shoulder of Ben Lui and she had watched as King Eochaid and his troops had ridden off. She knew there were too many infantry around the boy and now was not her moment, but she was patient and knew a chance would present itself if she waited long enough. ------- It was a further four hours of waiting before Eoric and the infantry heard sounds of fighting ahead of them and he urged the men forward. He kept himself at the front of the force, despite his distaste for what he knew was coming. It wasn't long before he could see a small number of Picts running towards him. These stopped in panic when they saw over fifteen hundred arrayed before them and perhaps wisely chose to break and begin climbing the steep hillside that formed the side of the glen. Groups of infantry broke to give chase to the Picts without any orders necessary from Eoric and he shuddered to think how many of those fleeing would escape. Eochaid and the cavalry force appeared not far behind the Picts, the King now wearing a huge grin at having at last whetted his sword. He was quick to congratulate Eoric on his plan, which he said had worked perfectly. Now he was anxious to urge the infantry forward so that they could attack Pitlochry. He was determined they would march on, forcing them to carry on through the night if necessary, so that no warning would reach the Picts. A start was made immediately. Eoric remained quiet and subdued as they made their way east, the pall of death tangible all around him. No one could say that Eochaid had not been thorough in wiping out the Picts at the various camps and Eoric could sense the souls of even the women and children had been vanquished. Eochaid had ordered the infantry to discard much of their gear at Crianlarich and they were now able to make better time, but it was still nearly dawn before Eoric warned the King that they were within half a mile of Pitlochry. Eochaid ordered a halt so that everyone could gather their breath and drink some water before they made the final assault. He walked up and down the line of troops, making sure they all knew their allotted duties and then joined his own squad. Eochaid had decided to move forward on foot this time, the noise from the horses likely to give a warning and the greater number of structures making it difficult to use cavalry in any event. Eoric remained with the King and soon they were creeping forward in the gloom of first light. With eighteen or nineteen hundred against eight hundred and with the Celts having the element of complete surprise; it wasn't surprising that the attack resulted in bloody slaughter. Everywhere Eoric looked he could see men from the Dalriada force dragging inhabitants out of houses and despatching them out of hand. Indeed, there was little real fighting, mostly dagger work. Again the Celts were not picky about who they killed, women and children falling as quickly as men were. He tried to maintain pace with Eochaid who was leading his group directly for the hall-house, but found himself overcome with nausea and he fell to his knees, vomiting into the dirt as the waves of terror and agony from the victims washed over him. By the time he had recovered sufficiently to carry on, the hall-house had been cleared and he feared the worst for Sarah. Eoric staggered through the structure, barely able to look at the destruction and the slaughtered victims lying around. He forced himself to check each body in his attempt to identify Anarg and Sarah. His search proved fruitless and he staggered back outside, gasping for breath and forcing himself to leave the settlement altogether. Eochaid found him sitting on the slopes of a hill some hours later and took in the sad face and vacant eyes. He sat beside the boy and put his arm round him. "I don't know what you were looking for in the hall-house, but it's clear you didn't find it. I have reports that some few Picts escaped on horseback before we got to the hall if that helps you," said the King. Eoric nodded as he regained some focus at last. "Thank you, Sire. There was a woman who was being beaten by the chieftain here. I did what I could to help her last night and it may be that she has escaped. Pay me no heed Eochaid King, I know this needs to be done, just don't expect me to like it," he replied at last. That night Eoric roused himself and walked away from the campfire he had been lying beside. He realised he had been stupid all day, failing to think of a simple way to check on Sarah. Her had connected with her so should be able to do so again and it had taken him too long to think of that. He tried to excuse himself in light of how all the killing had affected him, but now sat on a rock and tried to connect with her. It was surprisingly easy to locate her and tune in to her thoughts. His anger rose quickly and he was almost sorry he had made the attempt when he felt her pain and knew that Anarg had taken his defeat out on her. He felt the swelling and pain in her nose where she had sustained a blow and at other points on her body where the savage had obviously laid about her. Her thoughts were something of a surprise too and he sat quietly in the darkness as he listened to them. "Why did I run, why did I frighten him off? Look at the state of me now. For the first time in four years someone, or something, gives me some comfort and defends me against the savage and I ruin it. Now I am condemned to his torture once more. "I should have held onto him, ghost or no ghost. What could be worse than what I have now? I might as well be dead for all that I have to look forward to." He felt her tears begin to flow again and her despair once more clutched at his heart. He took a moment to question his own feelings, his own motives with regard to this woman. He had been married for only a few weeks, was he now lusting after another? He looked within himself and was satisfied that that was not the case. He genuinely only wanted to comfort this woman and put an end to her misery at the hands of a filthy savage. His physical reaction to holding her the night before was forgotten for the moment. His mind made up, he decided that he needed to go to her aid once more. His connection with her told him she was around twenty-five miles north and in the midst of around three hundred other people. He rose and returned to the fire, advising Eochaid that he was going out to scout in the darkness to try and locate more Picts. The King agreed, believing it would be a good thing for Eoric to keep himself busy. An hour and a half of running through the night, past Blair in Atholl, up Glen Garry, through the Pass of Drumochter and up Glen Truim brought him close. The Pict camp was at Dail Chuinnidh (modern day Dalwhinnie) and he slowed as he neared it. He had been thinking of what he would do as he was running and that had helped calm him down. His first instinct had been to kill Anarg and simply remove Sarah to safety. He realised that killing Anarg would be easy enough, he didn't even feel any difficulty with that, but he wouldn't be able to spirit Sarah through three hundred Picts unseen. If he killed Anarg and left Sarah he couldn't be sure what her fate would be. He had therefore decided to put the fear of the gods into Anarg and then continue to watch over Sarah until an opportunity presented itself to get her away. Once he managed that, then he would take pleasure in killing the Pict chieftain. Finding Anarg was simple enough; he was rutting with a woman who smelled as badly as he did. Eoric let his thoughts project and let Anarg know he had returned. "I warned you what would happen if you hit the woman. Don't try to hit her again or I will snap you like a twig before you do so. Know this, your life is now mine and I will come for it at a time of my choosing." If the situation weren't so serious Anarg's reaction would have been comical. His face grew pale and his cock deflated as panic set in. Eoric left him to his terror and went in search of Sarah. He found her and the sight of her swollen nose and blackened eyes brought his anger back with a rush. It was probably just as well that he had visited Anarg first, otherwise he might have lost his resolve not to kill the man at once. Sarah was once more lying on her side on a bed with her tears staining her shift. Eoric crept up behind her and her crying stopped as she felt the mattress move. She looked over her shoulder and saw nothing. That fact caused her to hold her breath, as she dared not hope that her defender had returned. When his hand and arm slid over her waist she let her breath out and began sobbing again, but this time her cries had a different quality to them. "You have returned to me, don't look at my face, I must look a mess." Womankind's capacity for vanity, even in the most dire situations, once more amazed him. His connection to her allowed him to gauge how far she had sunk this time and he knew that she had seriously been considering taking her own life. He was immensely pleased to feel a small spark of hope ignite deep within her with his return, that alone made his decision to come to her aid worthwhile. "I don't know who or what you are, but thank you," she sobbed. He stayed with her until she slept. Her dreams were disturbing however, as he felt her thoughts about him change from hope and thanks to something quite different, arousal. He felt her wriggle around in her sleep as she tried to get her back and bottom in closer contact with him. Then, her hand dropped to his and she lifted it to cover her breast, even as she slept. He knew when her woman's juice began to leak from her slit and he 'heard' her dream about him being gentle with her, but taking her nonetheless. He responded to the feel of her firm breast in his palm, her nipple stiffening under his touch and the pressure of her pert rear cheeks hard against his now hard cock. "Time to leave," he thought to himself, as he realised his resolve of earlier was weakening. ------- Chapter 14 Eoric had taken care to 'look' for and note any Pictish camps his senses picked up as he had made the run to Dalwhinnie, but there had been no other significant presence. What human signals he had picked up had only been one or two individuals - either herding or travelling between settlements perhaps. In any event, they weren't bothering about. He decided he did not want Eochaid and the Dalriada force harrying Anarg too closely and that he would therefore need to find another target for the King. His original plan, based on the information from the guide they had, was to swing south-eastwards after Pitlochry and make for Dùn Chailleann (modern day Dunkeld). He decided that he would return to that idea and now set out to run back the way he had come. From Dalwhinnie to Dunkeld was over forty miles and he had already used up quite a bit of the night to reach the Pictish camp and comfort Sarah. He found he needed to draw just a little more energy from the earth to maintain his running speed, but there was no feeling of exhaustion or even tiredness. One and three quarter hours later he was passing Pitlochry once more and he followed the banks of the River Tay as it flowed towards Dunkeld. He sensed and found the Pictish settlement easily enough after just over an hour of further running, but didn't spend a lot of time investigating it. In the darkness he was able to create an image of the camp in his head and his senses told him enough about the numbers of people and beasts to be able to inform Eochaid's battle plans. He continued on in a southeast direction until he sensed the presence of Peairt (modern day Perth). This was easily the largest presence he had come across with perhaps as many as fifteen hundred people associated with the settlement. He circled the camp and raced up a hill that overlooked it, sitting down to carefully construct the image of it in his head. By now dawn wasn't far off and he set out once more for Pitlochry so he could pass on his information to the King and the Dalriada troops. ------- The Lady of the Loch was growing frustrated, despite her promise to herself to remain patient. Eoric seemed to only leave the Dalriada force at night-time and when he did so he moved so fast she had no hope of ever keeping up with him. She decided a change in tack was called for. Her ongoing link with Gemma had borne unlooked for fruit in the shape of information about Eoric apparently having had a vision on midsummer's eve. Gemma was becoming aware of this because all of the populace of Dalriada was talking about it. Wherever womenfolk gathered to wash clothes or herd animals the details of what Eoric had saw and described grew ever more outlandish. One thread of the stories was constant however, and that was that Eoric had predicted the fall of the druids and the rise of the Columban Church. While this held no great significance for Gemma, Nimue realised that it offered the prospect of her recruiting the disgruntled druids to work with her against Eoric. She decided to return secretly to Eoric's new lordship of Lorne to see whether she could enlist some spies that might help her in the future. ------- Eoric had passed on all of his intelligence about the numbers of Picts and where they were, submitting himself to close questioning by Eochaid once more. The King decided that his forces could make the march of just over ten miles to Dunkeld in one day, but that it would be difficult given the dense woodland they would need to move through. He was undecided whether to try to make the attempt to raze the Pictish camp that night or whether to be slightly more cautious and wait for dawn the next day. As full dawn broke, so heavy summer rain began to fall and with it the spirits of the Dalriada force. This made up Eochaid's mind for him and he decided to move the men most of the way to Dunkeld, but to rest up, dry out and feed well before they struck once more. Spirits rose once the men were into the forests and out of the worst of the downpour, but as the King had suspected progress was slow. Eoric rode his horse beside Eochaid, but spoke mostly to Iain. He updated his lieutenant on what he had been up to so that he in turn could pass on how important Eoric's role was in this campaign. The Lorne levies had been surprised at their Lord's squeamishness at Pitlochry and Eoric knew he had to somehow get across to them that he was not craven. When he explained his abilities to Iain the other man's face showed his amazement and how impressed he was. Eoric had little doubt that his abilities would be exaggerated ten-fold when Iain eventually came to pass on his knowledge to the Lorne contingent. Still, better a force in awe of their great wizard of a leader than one that had no respect for their Lord at all. Deer were plentiful in the forest and Eoric let the foraging parties do their own hunting without his help. He tried to shut out the death of the animals by concentrating on the forest around him and was dimly aware of some kind of spirit presence. "You can feel Dryads, they are the spirits of the most ancient of trees. Don't expect to see any of them as they seldom walk abroad, but you might hear their music if you listen carefully. We are also sure that at least one Ghillie Dhu frequents these woods and it may be that you will encounter it as we go," said his inner voice. As the day wore on, Eoric let himself nap while he rode, trusting his gentle natured horse to be sure footed enough to keep him upright on its back. When he was jolted awake he could see that the King had halted and was indicating the force should stop where they were for the night. Eoric hung around long enough to stake out a place for his bed and have a few words with the King and Iain and then he bid them farewell and set off into the night once more. He made the short journey to Dunkeld and then on to Perth to make sure that no additional threats had appeared since he had passed this way the night before. Once he was satisfied, he began the longer run back to Dalwhinnie. He had connected with Sarah off an on during the day and knew that she was okay. During one of these episodes he had heard her arguing with herself internally about how she was reacting to his presence. "I can't believe I dreamt of my ghost last night. I must be getting desperate for affection if I have begun to fantasise in such a way. I know I would never succumb like that in real life, but the dream was so real and so satisfying. I really do need to control myself when Mr Spirit is around. Mr Spirit, I need a better name for him than that I think." Eoric had sent a subtle mental projection with the name Eoric to her, hoping she would accept that the name had come to her naturally. "I know, I'll call him Eoric. But listen to me, one second I'm chiding myself for thinking romantically about a ghost and the next I am like a little girl again, thinking up a name for my imaginary friend. His hands are so gentle with me though and they feel so good. Stop it, Sarah! Get a grip of yourself, get your head out of the clouds and get your feet firmly planted on the ground. I know, I know, I will do better from now on." Eoric could sense her smiling when she had ended the strange argument. He also felt guilty about the amount of time he was spending with Sarah and that immediately made him think of Gemma. He let his awareness expand until he felt Gemma's presence and connected with her, letting her know he was safe and well and that the campaign had started satisfactorily so far as the King was concerned. Gemma was excited to feel his presence and much comforted by the news that he was safe. She felt further comfort in the knowledge that he could keep in contact with her in this way while he was miles from home and she urged him to check in with her regularly to reduce her fears. Now as he ran, Eoric made two connections, one after the other. He connected with the spirit of Merlin and updated him on how things were going with regard to Eochaid's first attacks on the Picts. He shared the depth of feeling he had experienced after the slaughter at Pitlochry. Eoric explained to the wizard that so far it wasn't affecting his desire to see the Celts basically continue to progress the genocide of the Picts, but that he was concerned it would become harder and harder to accept the death of so many. Merlin tried to re-assure him, but this was territory he had no real experience in. He had to rely on re-inforcing for Eoric the importance of uniting the Celts and how the defeat of the Picts was essential to their long-term survival. The wizard also reported that he was currently scouring the country for traces of Nimue, mostly in Lothian at present as that was where her home was in the loch. He sounded frustrated as he let Eoric know that the Lady had seemingly disappeared. Once he had exchanged news with Merlin he once more reached out to find Sarah. He could sense she was still at Dalwhinnie and if anything his pace increased yet further to reach her there. There were no feelings of fear in what he was getting from her over his connection and that was something he was pleased about. When he made his way once more to her bedchamber she was sitting on her bed brushing out her long hair, humming quietly to herself. Eoric had searched for healing plants during the day and had managed to brew up some broth when the Dalriada host had stopped for one of their rest breaks during the march to Dunkeld. He waited now until Sarah's head was down as she brushed and then set the little beaker of the brew on the chair beside her bed. When she threw her hair back and began to brush the back and sides, she noticed it sitting there and instinctively knew who had delivered it. Eoric guessed it was a measure of how much Sarah had already grown to trust and rely upon him that she picked up the beaker and drank its contents without question. "I have decided to call you Eoric my ghostly saviour. I assume this drink is from you and that it is intended to deal with the ugly damage to my body. My thanks once more for thinking so kindly of me," she said out loud. Eoric climbed onto the bed behind her, kneeling so that he could begin to massage her shoulders. He could feel the knots and tension in her small muscles and he worked to iron them out, loosening them and hearing her groaning with pleasure at the sensual caress. He noticed her brush fall from her fingers as she lost herself in the treatment he was giving her and after a few more minutes rubbing her shoulders and back, he retrieved the brush and began to stroke it through her hair in long, smooth sweeps. By now Sarah was purring like a cat and her body had gone limp. "He hasn't come near me all day and the only time I saw him, he was like a frightened mouse. Whatever dire threat you have made to him it seems to be having the desired effect my saviour," Sarah whispered sleepily. Eoric dropped the brush and tugged gently on her shoulder so that she lay down on the bed. He put one hand at her waist and used the other to pull her freshly brushed hair behind her ear so that he could kiss and nibble on her neck and blow gently on her sensitive lobe. The combination of the massage, the sensual treatment of her hair and the gentle kissed to her neck soon had Sarah sleeping happily. Once again Eoric's connection with her told him when she slept and when her dreams kicked in. He could see the dream was highly romanticised and dealt with a brave knightly figure rescuing the maiden Sarah from the clutches of the savage Picts. This was all harmless stuff he thought, to be welcomed if it helped Sarah recover and gave her something to hold onto. Once more the nature of the dream changed however and he could sense her falling into her knights arms, thrilling at his touch and raising her sensuous mouth expectantly for his kiss. If anything Sarah's juices were even more noticeable than the night before and he was aware of her clenching and unclenching her thighs in her sleep. Again he felt her hand pull his own up to cup her perfect little breast, holding there for a moment before it dropped away to leave him free to squeeze her soft flesh gently. Without her hand to hold him in place he knew he should move his hand away, but he found it difficult to give up the feel of her, the feel of her pebble-like nipple hard against his palm. As the sleeping Sarah pushed herself back to mould herself against him he felt his staff tight up against the fleshy cheeks of her rear, resting indeed in the cleft in between them. She moaned quietly and he saw her own hand dip to cup her woman's mound, pressing up against herself as if she was looking for much needed relief. When she began rocking back and forth against him to create some friction between herself and the rod that was pressed into her sensitive flesh he was sure she must actually be awake. He checked his connection with her and confirmed that she was in fact still sleeping, but now her dream almost exactly mirrored the position they were actually in and he could sense how hot she was becoming. "Time for me to go before we both regret something my fair maiden," he thought to himself as he kissed her neck gently one last time. ------- Eochaid led the attack on Dunkeld the next day, rushing the settlement at dawn and catching the Picts unaware once more. He was beginning to think that the savages knew nothing about defending themselves. Surely word must have begun to get out that the Celts were on the rampage? If their preparedness was anything to go by it didn't look like it. Eoric had remained back at the camp in the forest this time, not wishing to suffer as acutely as he had at Pitlochry. He still felt the killing as it took place, but at least he wasn't physically sick this time. Merlin's spirit visited him for a while, to help him deal with the deep feelings of loss and Eoric appreciated the wizard's thoughtfulness. Merlin also advised that he had still not located Nimue and he was now extending his search. He didn't share with Eoric his suspicion that she must be abroad looking for him, believing that he had enough to deal with at the moment. Eochaid sent word to summon Eoric. The messenger who brought the King's orders explained that he was already marching on Perth. Eoric knew how far the march to Perth was and that the Dalriada force wouldn't make the distance in one day's march. He decided he would remain where he was so that his nightly trip to Dalwhinnie wouldn't be extended and then he would catch up with Eochaid before first light the next day. ------- Sarah woke up and felt a mixture of emotions. She had been happier in the last day or so than she could remember being for some time, but once more she could recall her dreams of the night before and its substance really disturbed her. "I must stop thinking of my ghostly Eoric in that way," she thought to herself, "it can't be healthy to be so obsessed by a spirit in such a physical way. "He's so gentle with me though, perhaps dreaming about him is okay. Just so long as I don't cross the line and think about doing anything with him for real, that would be beyond the pale. I promise myself that I will not allow myself to let that happen," she thought resolutely. ------- Nimue made her way across Lorne, keeping to the woods where possible to avoid meeting any humans. Her goal was to reach Taynuilt where Eoric had set up his household and make contact with the local druids. She had to emerge from the trees to negotiate the Pass of Brander, in the shadow of Ben Cruachan, but pulled the hood of her cloak up to conceal her features. She reached the settlement without incident and quickly identified where the druids were based. She made herself known to them and was invited inside the large stone built house they were occupying. Like most houses of the time, its walls stood about five feet high and it had a thatched roof. To enter through the doorway into the house involved stooping and a step downward. This was to accommodate the fact that the construction involved digging out the soil for several feet before rock was added to make a solid floor. In this way there was sufficient headroom for people to stand up when inside the house. "I have reason to believe that you have no love for the Lord of Lorne," she said to them, coming to the point of her visit quickly. The two druids were extremely cautious with her, fearing some kind of trap. "Do not fear me, my friends. I am Nimue, Lady of the Loch and you must know that I am already a mortal enemy of Eoric's. If you'll let me, I can help you rid yourself of the troublesome brat. Not yet a man and already he has turned the king's head and filled it with all kinds of nonsense about Christianity." The druids relaxed a little when she explained who she was. They had indeed heard the details of the fight at Dunadd that had led to Merlin's death and the near death of Eoric himself. "What do you want from us, my Lady?" one of them asked her. "I need eyes and ears, someone close by who can keep me informed of Eoric's plans and movements so that I can strike when the time is right," she replied. Both of the druids nodded at this request. That would not be an onerous task, nor would the risks to them be that great. "We can do that for you, my Lady. How can we get messages to you?" the apparent spokesman asked her. "Don't worry about that, I have ways of contacting you that no one will discover," Nimue said. She extended her hands and showed them both the glass ball she carried with her. She peered into the ball and the druids were stunned when they felt her presence inside their heads. "This is how I will communicate with you both," she projected to them. ------- Eoric had once more run through the night to be with Sarah at Dalwhinnie. He entered her bedchamber and found her standing over a frame that stood on a wooden stand. When he looked over her shoulder he saw that she was working at weaving some kind of linen and decided that it all looked like a complex business. He eased up behind her and let his hands settle at her waist, feeling her initially stiffen and then relax. "Aha! You have returned to me then my ghostly saviour? Where would I be without your protection? I know that you cannot take me away from here, but just knowing you're around is comfort beyond measure," she said. Despite her previous resolute promise to herself, she immediately felt herself respond to the feel of his hands. "Be strong Sarah, be strong!" Eoric heard her thoughts and wondered what her concern was. He didn't have to wait long as the images of him lovingly caressing her body began to flick on and off inside her head and he sensed her inner conflict. He could 'see' that she was disturbed by the idea that she might have desires and feelings for a ghost and that she was battling with all her will not to give in to them. Sarah once more allowed herself to lean back against him and he felt her thrill at the feel of his hardness against her rear, felt her arousal rising higher immediately. "No, no, no! Don't give in, don't give in. But I'm sure it would feel so good. How long since I have felt such pleasure? Oh, his hands on my titties, soothing the throb in my nubs, squeezing them. Oh, how good, how good." He could sense her arousal was causing her juices to flow now too and could smell how excited she was becoming. He himself was beginning to think he might be better moving away from her, as it was clear his hands touching her, his hard cock pressing against her rear, were making things very difficult for her. Before he could take the step backwards he felt her hands drop to his and she lifted them so that he was standing behind her, cupping both of her breasts. It was almost as if he was in a trance, unable to take his hands away as she pressed them to her. "Oh goddess, I knew it, I knew it, ahhh it feels just as I dreamed it would. Oh, Eoric, feel me, please, just for a little while, please?" He heard her pleas and responded to them, gently massaging her little breasts and letting his fingers tease and circle her now hard nipples and then pinch them. Sarah groaned and ground herself against him, her eyes now screwed shut and her bottom lip caught between her teeth. "No further. I won't go any further, but his hands feel so good, gentle, but strong. Uh, uh they feel so good on me. What's happening? Has he bewitched me, am I under some kind of spell. Oh, uh, it feels as my body is on fire I am so hot. Ahhh, ah, I can feel his touch, feel it all the way down to my woman's slit. Oh goddess, what is he doing to me? Why can't I control myself?" Sarah turned her head to try to see over her shoulder and as she did so, Eoric dipped his head and let his lips meet hers in a soft, sensuous kiss. She moaned into his mouth and he felt her grow limp in his arms. His connection to her told him that she had in fact fainted. It was with a sense of disappointment, but also significant relief that he carried her to her bed and laid her down. He kissed her cheek lightly and then left to make his way back towards Perth. ------- Chapter 15 Eoric surveyed the Pictish settlement at Perth in the last of the darkness just before dawn. He stood under a large oak tree to keep himself out of the steady rain that was falling around him. His senses picked up that there was considerable activity inside the settlement and he decided he would need to move in closer to find out what was going on. As he walked carefully towards the town he was aware that there were many people stationed just inside the large earthen mound that encircled the place, it seemed that the Picts had posted guards at last. He aimed for a gap between two of these and climbed the mound slowly, slipping between the guards and into the settlement proper. He walked around and took in the frantic activity. It was clear to him that this was a town readying itself for attack and he surmised that word of Eochaid's other attacks had at last been communicated to the Pictish community at large. He took in the construction of circles of barricades that was taking place, with uprooted bushes, dead scrub wood and anything else that happened to be lying around being pressed into service. The Picts were putting up barriers that formed a series of circles, each one getting smaller than the other. Eoric could see that they were preparing themselves for a hard battle for this place. He also took in the cunningly disguised pathways between the barricades - so, this wasn't to be a do or die effort, the Picts had left themselves some avenue for escape if necessary. Once he felt he had all the information he needed, he negotiated the guards on the outer perimeter once more and went in search of Eochaid and the Dalriada force. When Eoric found Eochaid and shared his latest intelligence, the King was surprisingly offhand about the defensive arrangements that the Picts were building. "We have done well so far to catch them with their guard down," he said, "sooner or later we knew they would be warned and we would need to fight that little bit harder. So be it, the sport will be all the better." "Sire, I counted four different defensive rings. This has all the makings of a difficult siege, one that could cost us many men. I caution that we take some time and try to design a plan that minimises our losses," said Eoric. "Eoric, I believe myself to be a compassionate King and I certainly have no desire to lose more of my men than absolutely necessary. But you are still a boy when it comes to warfare and you will learn that sometimes you just have to accept the price for victory," the King replied. Eoric had grown to like and respect the King, especially when it came to battle and the strategy that surrounded it. This latest view was something he couldn't accept however; he was sure there had to be some things that could be done to help minimise the losses on the Dalriada side. He retired to sit under a tree, wrapping a blanket round his shoulders and staring into a nearby fire. "I need to think up some kind of device to use that will weaken the Pictish defences, something that will make it easier for the Celts to attack," he thought to himself." "We think we know how we could help," said his inner voice. Eoric listened and nodded his head. This was a simple plan that could work. He rose from in front of the fire and dropped his blanket to the ground. He recovered two large, empty earthenware pots and then strode out from under the trees where the Dalriada force was currently hiding. He started running and made a full circuit of Perth, letting his senses reach out to find what he was looking for. He paused once at the side of the river to cut several large reeds then continued his search. Twenty minutes later he was perhaps two miles away from Perth, but he thought he had what he was looking for. He made his way forward in the darkness to a small stand of pine trees and set the two large pots down on the ground. Eoric quickly fashioned a makeshift pipe from a piece of reed and then placed his finger against the side of the nearest tree, letting his energy flow through the finger until a small hole appeared. He inserted the reed pipe into the hole and then concentrated on the tree. Eoric's senses were able to take in the tree in super detail. He could feel the sap rising within it, feel its strength and the ring upon ring of its years of growth. "Help me now my old friend, give me some of your essence," he whispered aloud. He focussed on the sticky resin within the make-up of the tree and began to draw it towards the reed pipe. Quickly the resin began to leak out of the pipe and into the pot he had carefully positioned below it. When he felt the tree begin to groan at the scale of the loss he stopped the flow, removed the pipe and used some of the detritus from the ground to plug the hole. Moving between the trees it took Eoric half an hour to fill both of his pots. He picked them up and ran back towards the settlement, slowing as he neared the first earthen defences and carefully passing through the ring of guards once more. He set the post down beside one of the nearest stone houses and squatted down to look closely at the soil. He focussed once more and let his connection with the earth reach out. Before him a small trench began to appear, no more than two inches across and perhaps an inch deep, it ran away from his feet towards the first of the barricades. Eoric kept his concentration and the little trench continued to appear underneath the dead bushes and branches of the man-made barrier. Once the full circuit had been made the trench extended at right angles until it connected with the second defensive circle and then began to wind its way round this one too. Eoric knew he could use his energy to set fire to the barricades, but his inner self had pointed out that it would take him quite some time to deal with all of the barricades. If all of them could be dealt with in one go the impact and effect would be significantly greater and his voice had suggested this little device. When the trench had completed its journey round all of the defences, Eoric directed it finally towards the central structure of the Perth camp. He lifted the first of the two pots and carefully poured the pine resin into the thin trench, watching it run along the trench and under the first barricade. The second pot was quickly added to the first and then Eoric was off to make the journey back to the pine trees for another two jars of the highly flammable liquid. Eoric had taken to draining many trees at once to speed up the collection of resin, a trip now down to six minutes. All in it took him fourteen more trips before he was satisfied that there was sufficient resin all round the camp to do the job he envisaged. He sat with his back against the stone house and prepared himself to wait for Eochaid's attack. He wasn't surprised to hear the first sounds of the attack just as the first light of dawn was appearing over the eastern horizon. Screams and the clang of metal upon metal rang out and he decided now was the time to put his plan into action. He dipped his index finger into the resin at his feet and allowed a small gout of flame to surge from the fingertip. The resin lit and he watched as the flame ran along the trench and under the dead wood of the first barricade. It wasn't long before the results of his labour began to show themselves. It was almost as if the fire was acting to order as he saw the flames begin to leap up and then spread around the circle at a steady rate. Already Picts were leaping back from the flames, watching in amazement as their barrier was consumed. To them it seemed as if the fire was eating the barricade as it steadily crept around the first circle and then made the short run along the ground and into the second barrier. By the time the first of Eochaid's troops were over the earthen mound all of the barricades were blazing and the Picts were in dire confusion. Of course the flames made it impossible for the Celts to advance and attack the Picts, but they could also see that in some places the savages were trapped and couldn't escape the flames. It had not been Eoric's intention to burn the Picts alive and he was dismayed as he too realised that some of them were trapped. He let his senses reach out to find the pathways that the Picts had designed into the defences and he used little surges of his energy to widen these slightly and make them passable once more. Faced with the growing inferno, the Picts took the only option open to them and they began to stream through the paths, making their way towards the northern edge of the town. Eoric grimaced as he sensed some being trampled underfoot in the panic and rush, the crushing of several children in particular hit him hard. He consoled himself that this was a far better outcome than what would have taken place if he hadn't intervened. Bloody hand to hand fighting with the Picts behind their defences would have led to days of killing and many more deaths than would be the case now. Those from the Dalriada force could clearly see what was going on and some rushed to inform the King of the latest developments. Eochaid reacted quickly and had horns blown to withdraw his men from the settlement. He ordered Ian mac Finlay to take charge of half the men and to circle the town to the left while he took the other half and circled to the right. Eoric could see that the Picts were now about to be hunted down, but at least they were out in the open and had a chance to escape. While they might still die, the losses to the Celts would be significantly lower than it might have been. ------- The next few weeks were filled with day after day of hunting down Picts all over Tayside and Atholl. Eoric continued to pinpoint where they were and Eochaid led his men on a ruthlessly efficient killing spree. Almost every night Eoric made the long run to Dalwhinnie to be with Sarah and his guilt was beginning to grow. On a number of occasions he looked in on himself and questioned his motives once more. There was no doubt he was growing increasingly fond of those moments spent with the small Saxon woman and he could no longer deny that he was at least in part betraying the vows that he had taken to Gemma. As a consequence his connections with Gemma were short and stilted and he was sure she was beginning to suspect something was wrong. On his last few visits to Sarah it was clear that she had positioned herself purposefully over her weaving frame so that she was in the perfect position for him to glide up behind her. Eoric could still read her conflicting thoughts, but it was clear that her need was starting to overcome her resolve not to 'let' her ghostly friend take liberties with her. He had to smile at the way she was rationalising things to herself - he was in no way pushing her or leading her on. Up to this point the entire sexual element of their time together had been initiated by her and it was her who was sliding deeper and deeper into obsession with the idea of going further with him. Sarah had reached the point where he knew that if he took the initiative she would not resist. He had been finding it harder to resist taking that initiative. The combination of the feel of her soft breasts in his hand, her pert bottom against him, the musky smell of her sex and the lurid images going through her head were all conspiring to pull him into her fantasy. When he arrived in her bedchamber this night she was once more bent over the weaving frame wearing only her linen shift. She had placed a number of oil lamps strategically so that anyone walking into the room could see through the shift as if it wasn't there. Eoric paused and took in the sight of her in all her glory. The fact that Sarah continually glanced over her shoulder was a definite sign that she was posing herself for him. He continued to watch Sarah for a few minutes longer before moving up behind her. She had become so used to him that she didn't even jump when his hands wound round her. He had reached the stage where he didn't need her to lift his hands to her breasts in invitation. Now instead he let them drift upwards himself until he was cupping her firm flesh. Sarah let her head fall back to rest against his chest and she moaned continuously at the feel of him stroking and teasing her titties. "Oh, it's happening all over again. I just can't help myself; his hands feel so good. I know if he pushed me just a little I would give in, my resistance is already almost non-existent. What would he feel like inside me? I'm dripping at the thought of it, dripping like a beast in heat. Thank the goddess he has never tried to push me, for I know it would be the end of my resolve." Eoric let one hand fall to cover Sarah's stomach and he felt her draw a sharp breath at how close it was to her sex. He could sense the war within her head as she battled with the overwhelming desire for him to let his hand drop just a few more inches to touch her throbbing clitoris and soaking lips. "There is no doubt now that he is a spirit for a man wouldn't be able to resist, could not have held out this long. Perhaps he can't have sex in his form although he certainly feels hard enough. I guess my virtue, what's left of it anyway, is safe with him." Eoric used the hand on her stomach to push Sarah even more firmly against his rock hard staff. "Goddess, he feels huge and sooo hard! Oh, damn it, I wish he was a man and that he would just take me and be done with it. Can't he tell I need it so badly? This is almost harder to stand than Anarg's beating. Oh take me Eoric, just take me! Please, please fuck me!" Something snapped in Eoric's head. Perhaps it was the suggestion that he wasn't a man. Perhaps it was her thoughts crying out for him to simply take her where she stood. Whatever it was he stopped caressing her breast and pushing her stomach, instead bringing both hands round to press down on her shoulders so that she was bent over the weaving frame. "Goddess! What is he doing? No, no, is he going to take me after all? Yes, Eoric, oh yes, yes, take me!" Eoric was inflamed with lust and her mental encouragement was all that he needed to send him over the edge. He let one hand drop and grasped the hem of her shift, pulling it up and over her back to expose her perfect rear. He transferred the material to his other hand, which was still high up on her back, keeping her bent over. His right hand dropped once more and slid between her thighs, feeling the copious juices that were running down her legs. Sarah lost all thought of resistance and moved quickly to spread her legs to allow him better access. Eoric's fingers traced from her silky smooth inner thigh up to cup her sex and he felt her judder as an orgasm gripped her. He had spent enough time with Gemma to know what made women feel good and he now used his middle finger to search out her sensitive little nub, rubbing it gently and transferring some of her own juices to keep it slick. It didn't take much of this treatment before she was bucking against him once more, the years of mistreatment washed away and the weeks of teasing and dreaming of this moment sending her into ecstasy. Eoric could read her thoughts and knew that she was beyond rational thought. Lust and satisfaction were short circuiting her ability to think straight. He dropped his kilt and shuffled forward, letting his staff slide between her cheeks and coating it in her juices. Her reaction the moment she regained her senses and realised what was about to happen convinced him to go through with the act. "Goddess, how could I have thought that he wasn't capable. He's going to do it; he's going to put his staff in me! Yes, Eoric, yes, do it, do it! I don't care who or what you are, I need it. Please fuck me now!" He let his staff bump up against her lips and then pressed down on her back more urgently to push her rear out and make his entrance easier. Her juices ensured that he slid into her easily, although she still felt gloriously tight as his cock travelled the full length of her in one thrust. "Aaaiiieee, yes, oh he's in me, he's in me. Yes, Eoric, yes take me my love, take me. Do it!" Eoric knew he wouldn't last long, he hadn't been unaffected by the weeks of teetering on the brink of this, by the feel of her, by the lascivious thoughts she had been having about him. He didn't hold back and began thrusting into her hard and fast. His connection with her told him that this was exactly what she wanted, needed. Her third climax in as many minutes overtook her and he felt her channel constrict around his staff in a painfully exquisite moment. He could only manage five or six more full thrusts before he felt himself shoot off deep inside her. The feel of him firing his man's juice into her took Sarah onto another level and she felt the waves of pleasure wash over her again and again until she blacked out. Eoric recovered quickly and found himself holding Sarah up, his staff still hard within her despite his climax. He carried her over to the bed and let her down so she was on her knees on the floor with her upper body lying on the bed. He started to stroke into her with a slow steady rhythm, waiting for her to revive. He sensed when her faculties returned to her. "Oh goddess, he's still doing it to me, it feels even better than I dreamed it would. Yes, Eoric, yes do it to me again, fuck me!" He had his hands at her hips and when he heard her thoughts he began thrusting into her harder and faster, slapping her bottom cheeks against his abdomen in his urgency. He could feel her climbing the crest of her pleasure once more and he dropped one hand to curl over her thigh and down to pinch and rub her sensitive clitoris. Sarah bucked and jerked like an unbroken horse as he played her, adjusting his pace and pressure on her clit in accordance with the reactions he could read in her head. "Too much, too good, too much, aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" Eoric fired into her once more as he felt her experience multiple jolts of pleasure over and over. This time he knew she wouldn't recover for some time and he used a wet rag to clean up her sex before laying her down on the bed, covering her over and giving her a tender kiss. He looked at her and worried about her safety when Eochaid ended the current campaign and he could no longer visit her every night. It wasn't until he was running back towards the Dalriada forces' camp that the full realisation of what he had done hit him. He had crossed the line and betrayed Gemma. He had probably betrayed Sarah's trust too. A final dagger to his heart was the dawning of the fact that he had forgotten to focus on turning off his fertility before he had taken Sarah and if his inner voice was to be believed there was a strong possibility that she would become pregnant. "What a mess," he thought to himself as he ran, "what have I done, oh god, what have I done?" ------- Eochaid found Eoric sitting looking into a campfire. He took in the sad look on the boy's face, but assumed it was as a result of the weeks of killing that he had had to endure. Eoric had tried to explain his connection to the earth to Eochaid and how he felt the death of all living things. The King couldn't understand any of what the young man was telling him, but he had seen with his own eyes the physical toll the killing had on him. "Eoric, I think it's time for us to take our men home and see to the harvest. The pickings are becoming slim in any event, as the Picts know what we are about and run at the first sign of us. It's time for a rest before we return in the Autumn." Eoric raised his head to look at the King and if anything the look on his face grew worse. He knew the moment of judgement was fast approaching now. He would not be able to keep what he had done from Gemma, had promised her there would be no secrets between them. The full impact of his guilt now hit him as he conjured up the image of how he would tell her and what her reaction would be. Eochaid watched the young man's shoulders slump and the misery on his face deepen. He began to worry about the mental effect the campaign had had on him. "Eoric, you need to snap out of this malaise. You were the one who pointed out the need to deal with the Picts in the first place, were adamant that we had to wipe them out as the first step to our longer term survival," he said. Eoric looked up at the King, but couldn't maintain eye contact. He glanced away and a single tear escaped his eye and ran down his cheek. "Eoric, what ails you man? Speak to me!" demanded Eochaid. A dam inside Eoric burst and the words began tumbling from his mouth. He shared the whole story of himself and Sarah from the beginning, at first with the words coming out in a rush, but eventually in a dull resigned monotone. After the first few lines of the story Eochaid could tell this was serious and he sat down to let Eoric get it all out. He raised his eyebrows in amazement at the huge distances Eoric had been travelling every night and remembered how he had searched through the hall weeks before in Pitlochry, looking for the woman. Eoric spared no detail in his account of how his resistance to Sarah had gradually broken down. The guilt was evident now in his voice and the posture of his body. He didn't try to make any excuses for himself however, and at last he came to the point where he had finally succumbed and consummated his relationship with the Saxon woman. "I see no great wrong in this, Eoric. Indeed, it makes a fine tale of womanly seduction, a notable example to us all of how they can use their wiles on us poor, weak men. Gemma might be my daughter, but no man could have withstood such a temptation for long. How you lasted as long as you did is beyond me. We are strong in many ways my friend, but always we are weak when it comes to the needs of the flesh. "If this is all that's bothering you my advice is to put it behind you man. It is but a trifle and Gemma will get over it, believe me!" Eoric looked up at the King. In some ways it was a relief to have told the whole story and there was a flicker of hope inside him at the way the King was responding. It was clear from looking at the King's face, his expression, that he genuinely believed what he was saying to Eoric. Eochaid really didn't see what had happened as of great significance and certainly not something that should be affecting Eoric so badly. He shook his head at the King. He was saddened at the fact that Eochaid had never felt love. The absence of love in his own life made it impossible for the King to grasp just how important Eoric's betrayal of Gemma was. He had never taken the marriage vows and put his heart into saying them, had never gazed into the eyes and soul of his life partner and openly committed himself to her completely. The flicker of hope inside him died and he knew what Gemma's reaction would be. While it might be a relief to know that at least the King was not holding his betrayal against him, nothing would shield him from how Gemma took the news and probably just as importantly from how he now felt about himself. They made a start on their return journey that morning, the troops in fine mood given the success of the past few weeks and the thought of returning to their families. In the entire host the only sad and miserable face was Eoric's. For once he was unaware of the magnificent cathedral of the west highland scenery about him as he rode towards Dalriada. The days of riding were like a sentence in themselves, as he had countless hours to go over and over his betrayal in his mind. The host split at the same point they had met up, at the junction of Glen Lochy and Glen Orchy. Iain mac Finlay could see Eoric's mood and he wisely chose to let his lord ride alone. The final few miles were hellish agony and only the large force following on behind Eoric stopped him from slowing his pace. Finally he arrived in Taynuilt and his misery was compounded yet further when he caught sight of Gemma running wildly towards him, her face lit up with excitement at his return. She faltered as she drew closer to him and saw the look on his face. Eoric dismounted and walked forward to meet her, catching her when she threw herself into his arms. He was sure she would be able to smell Sarah's scent still lingering on him and he winced at the thought. Gemma grew nervous at his reaction and began to babble incoherently, pulling him by the hand into their house. Once she had him indoors, she sat him down and looked at him closely. "What is wrong with you, my love? What has happened to you? It appears as if you have the weight of the world on your shoulders," she said anxiously. Eoric couldn't look at her and instead he felt his tears running down his face and the shame welled up, threatening to completely engulf him. Gemma hugged his head to her chest, distraught at what could be affecting him so badly. She was well aware of his growing sensitivity to the death of living things and knew she couldn't begin to appreciate how bad that must feel. At last Eoric could take it no more and decided he had to face up to what he had done, face up, tell the truth and take what was coming to him. He straightened up in his chair and held her at arms length. "Gemma, I've got something to tell you, something really bad," he started. Her face grew even more anxious and it was clear a hundred different scenarios were rushing through her head. Her expression after his next words left no doubt that what he had done was not one of the 'bad' things she had immediately thought of. "I have betrayed you princess, I have betrayed our love. While I've been away with the King I have slept with another woman, developed feelings for another woman." It was as if he had slapped her in the face. The colour drained from her cheeks and her eyes grew dull and lifeless. Eoric stood and began pacing up and down, trying to explain what had happened with Sarah, but it was clear none of this words were getting through to Gemma. After a few minutes she leapt to her feet as if someone had lit a fire under her. The colour came back into her face in full measure and her brows lowered. "WHAT! "You come in here and tell me you have feelings for another woman, after we have been married for less than two moons! Feelings, how can you have FEELINGS for someone else after the vows we made to each other?" she screamed. Gemma lifted the first thing that came to hand, a jug of water, and threw it forcefully at Eoric's head. He ducked and the jug smashed against the wall, a cascade of pottery shards and water flying everywhere. "Rutting I could understand, no man can be trusted when it comes to that thing between his legs, but FEELINGS? How dare you!" She next picked up a broom and began to hit him with it repeatedly. Eoric raised his arms to protect his head, but otherwise accepted the beating as something he was due. "Who is the slut? Where is she? You can pack up your things and go back to her because I'll not suffer you to be near me for another moment!" she screamed at him, continuing to swing the broom handle to good effect. The beating went on for another few minutes before she broke down and collapsed to the floor exhausted, her own tears now streaming from her eyes. "How could you? How could you?" she wept. "Gemma, I'm sorry. I don't love you any less, princess," he replied, "it just happened. I tried to resist, I did think about us and how I feel about you, but the situation just wore me down. She was desperate, needed my help. You wouldn't believe the life she has had to endure. "She must have been desperate to have taken you into her bed," Gemma said, "and what kind of life am I going to have now? Tell me that. Did you think about that when you were together with her? Did you?!" Eoric winced anew as he heard the venom in her voice. She lifted a large shard of the broken jug and threw it at him, catching him just above the eye and bringing a stream of blood. "Get out! Get out, leave me!" she shouted at him. He withdrew from the bedchamber and found a rag of cloth to staunch the flow of blood from his head. He held the rag in place and walked out of the house, making his way down to the stream that flowed nearby. He sat and let his head fall into his hands. "I've ruined everything, everything. She didn't deserve this and my weakness has hurt her deeply. Oh god, what have I done?" he thought to himself. ------- Nimue had watched the whole scene unfold and she was sitting not a hundred yards away in the druids' house. She couldn't believe her luck once more as fate seemed to be presenting her with another opportunity of catching Eoric off guard and vulnerable. Her twisted mind enjoyed the anguish of the princess and the misery she could read on the young man's face at the way things were turning out. "Good, good. Excellent, my time is coming. Soon it will be time to make my move." She sat down to concentrate on what she knew she had to do now. ------- Eoric didn't know how long had passed since he had left the house, perhaps a few hours, and he rose from beside the stream and wandered back towards the door. He hoped Gemma had had time to calm down a little and that he might be able to talk to her, reason with her. He was being truthful when he had said nothing had changed about his feelings for her. He didn't understand that, but his love for her was as deep as it had been, only now there were feelings for Sarah alongside that. When he entered the house he was surprised to see Gemma putting down a plate of bread and cheese and a beaker of ale for him. She was quiet and her head was bowed, but he thought this was a distinct improvement in how he had left her some hours before. He sat at the table and picked at the food, but took deep gulps of the ale, as his mouth was suddenly dry. How was this all going to work out? As these thoughts were swirling around in his head he heard an alarm. "Eoric, she has drugged you! The ale is drugged! Whatever you do, don't fall asleep or you will lose the ability to work against it." He felt himself growing dizzy and then everything began to go black. The last thing his eyes took in was Gemma standing beside him, a vacant look on her face. Once he had slumped to the tabletop, Gemma turned and walked to the door. She stopped just inside and waited. As she was standing there she was whispering to herself. "I have done as you asked, my Lady. I have done as you asked and he is ready for you to come and take him away." ------- Chapter 16 Nimue and the two druids appeared and quickly carried Eoric's limp body from the house. They hustled outside and draped him over a waiting horse. Nimue mounted her own beast and led the second horse behind her as she lost no time in departing Taynuilt. The two druids slipped off into the darkness before anyone could see that they had been near Eoric's house. Gemma remained standing looking at the door and whispering to herself. "I've done what you asked, my Lady. He's ready for you to come and get him." ------- Sarah awoke with the pleasant memory of what had taken place the night before. She had given in to her ghostly visitor and the contrast between their time together and the savage rapes she had suffered at the hands of Anarg was stark indeed. She curled up under her blanket and smiled happily to herself. Her misgivings about sharing herself physically with a spirit had gone and she was even now thinking about a repeat performance, longing for it. As she lay basking in the afterglow of her lovemaking with Eoric she was unaware of the danger that was beginning to take shape outside her bedchamber. Anarg had heard the cries of passion coming from her the previous evening and his anger was so hot that it overrode his fear of the voice he had been hearing in his head, the force that had flung him across the room. Anarg was going through the settlement at Dalwhinnie, systematically picking out the gossips amongst the inhabitants of the camp and sharing with them his belief that Sarah was possessed by an evil spirit. It wasn't long before he was aware that the story he had started was being exaggerated and accepted as fact throughout the settlement. He smiled to himself at the growing unrest. Sarah posed herself over the weaving frame again that night, waiting with anticipation for Eoric to return and pick up where he had left off the night before. Her legs grew tired after several hours of waiting before she gave in and accepted he wasn't coming. She lay down on her bed and began to worry that perhaps he would never return. What if, having had his way with her, he simply abandoned her to her fate once more? She twisted and turned on the bed, unable to sleep, growing increasingly sure that her ghostly saviour was turning out to be like other men she knew - after only one thing and then uninterested once they had achieved it. Her concern and fears continued to grow when there was no sign of Eoric the next night either and depression began to set in. She had built the spirit up over the past few weeks, had become almost dependent upon him for her comfort and sanity and now it looked as if she had been abandoned. Feelings in the camp were running higher and higher about the Saxon witch in their midst. Sarah was seldom seen outside of her bedchamber and somehow this fact had been twisted to suit the belief she was evil. Every aspect of her short time in the settlement was being held up and looked at, with people finding something to point at on the flimsiest of grounds. Anarg subtly fuelled the rising frenzy and was delighted when the first suggestions were made that something needed to be done about the woman. Sarah lay in her bed for most of the day feeling sorry for herself. What had she done in her life that caused fate to continually frown on her? She had tried calling out to Eoric in the hope that he would hear her somehow and return to her, but she wasn't surprised when there was no response. As she examined her time with the ghostly Eoric over the past few weeks she became dimly aware of a growing noise outside the house. At first she blocked the noise out, but as it grew louder it intruded more and more on her ability to think about other things. She turned her head to listen and concluded that the men of the camp were having one of their periodic alcohol fuelled brawls. When the noise grew louder yet and seemed to be getting closer she got up from the bed and stood. It was now clear that the noise was heading in her direction and she began to fear what that meant. Had Anarg summoned up the courage to return to beat her once more? A mob of about eighteen men burst through the heavy drape that covered the entrance to her bedchamber and she gasped, her hands flying to cover her mouth. For some reason the mob stopped, perhaps because the men had forgotten just how beautiful she was and they now let their eyes run over her greedily. Sarah saw the looks and feared the worst. "Anarg had put them up to raping me," she thought in panic. The ringleader of the mob found his voice at last and he snarled at her. "Witch! We know you are a witch, all of us have seen you practising your evil craft. No wonder the filthy Celts have been victorious these past few weeks with you casting your spells against us I say!" he spat at her. Sarah was shocked at the allegation. She had done nothing other than enjoy herself with Eoric. Was that it? Had the settlement somehow found out that she had lain with a ghost? "She doesn't deny it! She is evil and needs to be destroyed. Burn her, burn her I say!" cried another of the mob. It was almost as if this was a signal for the others, as the entire mob began baying 'burn her' and then they rushed forward to grab her roughly and drag her from the chamber. Sarah's eyes blinked rapidly as they tried to adjust to the daylight. She had been inside so many days the light of the afternoon hurt in its brightness. She felt herself being dragged across the ground towards the centre of the camp and when her eyes finally grew accustomed to the light she saw a post had been sunk into the ground and firewood was piled up beside it. Her panic at the thought of being raped was now replaced with terror as she realised what the Picts really had in store for her. She caught sight of Anarg standing to the side of the post, a smile on his face as he prepared to watch her being burned alive. "Eoric! Eoric, where are you? Eoric, save me, save me Eoric!" she screamed as she was dragged closer to the post. ------- Nimue rode reasonably hard in her haste to get out of Dalriada. She had stopped once to tie Eoric's hands and feet together, passing a rope under the horse's belly so that he was secure across its back. She knew these first few miles were the most risky and she was keen to put them behind her. Her connection with Gemma had informed her that Merlin was abroad somehow and the most likely place for the wizard to be was close to Eoric. She ate as she rode, not wanting to stop even for a short time until she was safely away. She rode across country, avoiding the well used paths and eventually cut across Glen Falloch. Continuing southeast, she rode through Strath Gartney and along the side of Loch Katrine. She relaxed when she descended through the Trossachs and negotiated the Pass of Achray, at last deciding to give the horses a break when she entered the Forest of Achray itself. Nimue untied Eoric and laid his body on its back. She hobbled the horses before opening her little sack and withdrawing a small earthenware bottle. She held Eoric's head up at an angle and let two drops of the liquid in the bottle drip between his lips before lowering his head again. She gathered wood for a small fire and conjured up a flame out of thin air to light it, then she stood and walked a little way into the trees before lifting her hand and pointing her finger. She mumbled a few words and suddenly two fat wood pigeons came crashing through the branches and leaves of the trees to fall dead at her feet. As she waited for the birds to roast over her fire, Nimue thought back to how ridiculously easy it had been to capture the boy. The seed she had planted in Gemma's head had let her witness the fight between the two and as soon as Eoric had left the house she had struck. Focussing on her glass ball she had commanded the seed to grow rapidly, so quickly that Gemma had no conscious thought as her mind had been completely taken over. Nimue had directed the princess to leave the house unseen and to make her way to the druids' house. When she had arrived there, Nimue had given her the potion that would need to be given to Eoric and ordered Gemma to return and serve the boy food and ale. The potion was to be dropped into the ale so that it could do its job. Nimue was banking on the emotional trauma that was in the air to dull Eoric's senses just enough so that he would accept and drink the ale. Her plan had worked perfectly and it wasn't long before she was rushing to the house to take the boy with her. She had toyed with taking the girl too, but she was clearly in no state to be of any use, the growth of the seed had quite addled her mind. She would have slowed the escape down too, so she was left behind. ------- Merlin had been trying to connect with Eoric for some hours and was surprised when he found a black nothingness instead of the young man's thoughts. He had been scouring Dalriada for any sign of Nimue, but without success once more. He had heard rumours, rumours about a cloaked rider haunting the woods and forest and he was sure these related to the Lady of the Loch. At last he had come to the conclusion that he should warn Eoric that Nimue was almost certainly in Dalriada and just as certainly was looking to cause Eoric harm. When his efforts at making a connection failed he decided he would need to fly his spirit to where he believed Eoric to be, at Taynuilt. As he settled outside Eoric's house he knew immediately that something was wrong. There were still tremors in the air that signified an event of some kind, an event he was sure that didn't bode well for his young friend. Merlin let his spirit drift through the doorway into the house and he found Gemma rooted to the spot, staring vacantly at where the door was. He reached out to her and was appalled at what he found. Her mind had been viciously attacked and taken over, the elements that made up her essence shattered and fragmented. He knew that in effect Gemma was no more. The mind that was Princess Gemma, her thoughts, her memories were gone. As he drifted further into the house he took in the food and the beaker on the table. He examined the beaker and knew immediately what it contained. "Oh my poor Eoric! This can mean only one thing. Nimue has you and her plans involve more than just your death. Forgive me for what I am about to do, my friend," he whispered to himself. Merlin whirled and let his spirit enter Gemma's body, his mind enter her head and take control of her. He looked out through the princess's eyes and was aware of how strange her woman's body felt. He had never considered that a woman's centre of balance had to be different to a man's given their make up and he now had to compensate for the fact that she was more top-heavy than he was used to. "I'm sorry to have to use you this way, my dear. Eoric needs our help I'm afraid and you are no longer in a position to provide it. Between us we might yet save him from what Nimue has planned." ------- Sarah wasn't sure what she had expected to happen when she had screamed for Eoric to come and save her. Nothing could have prepared her for what did happen next however. A series of loud roars emanated from the woods to the left of the camp and the inhabitants, including those that were dragging Sarah, turned to look in that direction. A huge bear, perhaps over fourteen feet high emerged from the treeline and began moving towards the settlement. Close behind the bear was a giant wolf, over twelve feet in length and its back fully four feet from the ground. Next to appear was a wild cat, but like no wildcat any of them had ever seen. It was fully ten feet long and three feet high; its fangs looked massive, sharp and frightening. Last to come out of the trees was something that looked very much like a tree itself. It rose twenty feet into the air and walked forward on sturdy legs, its arms like thick branches with twigs and leaves. Terror struck the Picts at the sight of these four and they ran for their very lives, those who had been dragging Sarah simply dropping her to the ground. Sarah herself was in shock at everything that had been going on and she watched, unable to run, as the four beasts moved towards her. The bear reached down and picked her up. Her last conscious thought before she fainted away was how surprisingly gentle the bear was. Once she was securely in the bear's arms all four of the creatures turned and made their way back to the woods. The Picts watched from a distance and many of them were proclaiming this as clear evidence that Sarah was indeed a witch. How else could the appearance of such unnatural creatures be explained? Several hours later Sarah regained consciousness to find herself lying on a thick bed of bracken leaves. A small fire was burning and a wooden plate sat beside her with some form of leaves and bread on it. She sat up and realised she was hungry, immediately picking up the plate and consuming the food that seemed to have been left out for her. As she was chewing the last of the sweet and tasty bread, she heard giggling coming from the back of the cave. It sounded almost like children and she called for them to show themselves. "Come out, come out where I can see you," she said. A few moments later she was amazed to see four little creatures emerge into the firelight, their red hats very distinctive even in the relative darkness of the cave. She was sure she had never seen the likes of them before and was at a loss as to what they might be. "Who are you? What are you?" she asked, somewhat in a daze. "We are the Bauchailleen," said one, a smile cracking his face, "who are you?" "Oh, forgive my manners. I am Sarah, pleased to meet you," she replied, still stunned by the surreal nature of what was happening to her. "Good, we saved the right person. Eoric will be pleased with us and our hats will be safe!" said another of the little creatures. "Eoric? What have you to do with Eoric?" she asked quickly on hearing his name. "Eoric told us he had to go away for some time, but that he was worried about someone in the camp of the humans. He told us to watch the camp and make sure that no harm befell 'Sarah' or he would return and take our hats from us," another said, a scowl appearing on his face at the mention of the threat to his hat. Sarah found herself feeling guilty at the thoughts she had had about Eoric over the past few days. He hadn't abandoned her after all, but something had taken him away. She had caught the reference to the 'camp of the humans' and that intrigued her now. "You referred to Dalwhinnie as the 'camp of the humans'. Does that mean that you are not human?" she asked. "Of course not, we've told you, we are the Bauchailleen!" "But what is a Bauchailleen?" Sarah asked. "Why, we are," giggled another of the small creatures. Sarah was growing exasperated at the childish way these creatures were acting. They were almost like mischievous little boys with their giggling and the way one of them was throwing little stones onto her shift. "Stop it! This is getting us nowhere. Explain to me what you are or I think I might just leave. If I do that I might hurt myself and then Eoric will take your hats from you," she said. She knew she had guessed correctly with the reference to the hats when all four of them stopped hopping around and assumed more serious expressions on their faces. "The Bauchailleen are faeries, we are faeries," one of them said. Sarah gasped at this. She wasn't even sure she believed there were such things as faeries and now she had four in front of her. The Bauchailleen waited patiently for her to recover from her surprise. "What happened to the huge beasts that rescued me from the settlement?" she asked at last. She couldn't help smiling as the faces of the four Bauchailleen grew red and they suddenly appeared embarrassed. The four faeries looked at each other as if none of them wanted to take responsibility for answering her question. Eventually the one who had spoken the first words now spoke up again. "Emmm, that was us. We are not supposed to show ourselves to humans that way, but there were so many of them we couldn't think of how else we could rescue you." "What do you mean that was you? I saw the creatures with my own eyes! There was a huge bear, a wolf, a giant cat and a walking tree," Sarah responded. Before her eyes the Bauchailleen that had spoken suddenly grew and became a large wolf. Sarah gasped once more as she witnessed the change. The wolf disappeared and became the Bauchailleen once more. "We are shapeshifters," said the faery. Sarah's head was spinning. It had been an eventful day to say the least. Attacked by an angry mob, nearly burned at the stake, rescued by frightening beasts that turned out to be four small faeries and best of all, finding out that Eoric hadn't abandoned her. This last thought made her feel all warm inside. She still had Eoric. "Who or what is Eoric?" she asked the faeries. The Bauchailleen looked at each other once more, but this time they looked puzzled. "Don't you know him? Why did he ask us to protect you if you don't know who he is?" one asked her. "He is the one that has kept me alive and safe these past weeks, but I have never seen him, never talked to him. Is he a ghost?" she asked. The Bauchailleen fell down and began to giggle hysterically. It was some minutes before they calmed down enough to answer her question. "There's no such things as ghosts, everybody knows that. No, Lord Eoric is a human like you, well almost like you. He does have some strange abilities for a human," said one of them. Sarah was stunned once again. "Eoric is human? Lord Eoric?" she thought to herself, "oh goddess, he's human and not a ghost!" ------- Chapter 17 Nimue re-tied Eoric to his horse and nimbly mounted up herself. Her route had been planned out in her head and she estimated it would take her a further four days of riding before she would be able to say for certainty that she was safe. A big concern for her was how well Eoric would hold up. She had brought bottles of some of her brews with her and she would be able to dribble these into his mouth in the place of food and water, but his lack of movement could affect his body. She left the forest and spent the day heading across the Campsies, fording the River Clyde and continuing on down through Clydesdale. The high Pentland hills were ahead of her, but she angled slightly further south so that she could skirt these and eventually stopped for the night in a wood that ran alongside the river. Nimue was up early the next morning and she lifted Eoric's head to drip some of her drug into him and then some of the nourishing brew to sustain him. After eating a small amount of food herself, she returned to her horse and started off once more. The going was tougher now, as she cut across the grain of the terrain. She dissected Tweedale and entered the Ettrick Forest then crossed Teviotdale and made camp at the foot of the Cheviot Hills. Crossing the hills took all of the next day, but by midmorning on the fourth day she headed down the Larriston Fells and looked at the broad expanse of Kielder water in front of her. She was now in Bernicia and her ultimate goal was a cave under the Kielder lake. Nimue was extra careful now as she took her secret path and entered the tunnel that led under the lake. She cast a masking spell to make doubly sure no one could see where she turned off the path into the rock. Once she had Eoric lying down on a table of stone, she fed him some more of her brew and then began preparations for the spells that would be required to suck all of his secrets out of him. Once that was completed she would have no further use for the interfering boy. ------- Merlin cast his strongest reveal spell in an effort to uncover Nimue's tracks. He began to wonder if she knew he was still abroad when his spell was cancelled out by equally strong magic that had been used to conceal the tracks. Surely she would only have gone to such lengths if she thought a powerful wizard would try to follow her? He knew he was going to have to resort to one of his abilities that she wasn't aware of, one of those levels of lore that Nimue hadn't managed to leech from him. This was something he seldom resorted to as it was extremely taxing on the mind and body given the amount of energy it required. Merlin sat on the ground outside Eoric's house, still surprised to see Gemma's legs stretched out in front of his eyes, and concentrated. Once his eyes were closed the figure of an Uruisg appeared at the edge of the stream Eoric had been sitting at before and began to channel energy towards him. He felt the jolt of energy and didn't question it; rather he immediately began to channel it to help him focus on what he was doing. Merlin had mastered the art of being able to summon a vision. It took enormous energy and he could only call visions that dealt with lesser things, not the outcome of great battles or anything of that nature. He had seldom used it given the level of information it could provide, but now he was desperate and he needed some clue as to where Nimue had taken Eoric. The additional energy that he felt flowing into him made the task far easier than he could remember it being and within a few minutes an image of Nimue riding a horse and leading another horse behind her appeared in his/Gemma's head. He tried to focus on the detail of the countryside around her rather than on the woman herself and after a few minutes he was pleased when he recognised where she was. He quickly cut the vision to conserve his energy and as he looked up he caught a glimpse of the Uruisg slipping back below the surface of the stream. He recognised that this must have been where the additional energy had come from and he raised an eyebrow at such an unusual thing. The faeries were not known for appearing without being called or for offering their help without being asked. It seemed that Eoric had more of a connection as an elemental than he knew. Merlin/Gemma now mounted one of Eoric's horses and galloped off towards the east. He knew he needed to skirt Loch Awe before then heading southwards. His vision had shown him the Clyde valley and he knew that was where Nimue was heading. If possible he had to catch up with her before she disappeared into one of her hiding places. ------- King Eochaid felt bored after the many weeks of campaigning and he decided he would call on Eoric and Gemma. There was some concern in his mind after Eoric had shared his tale about the Saxon woman and he thought it might be a good idea to check on the young couple and make sure they were okay together. The ride to Taynuilt took most of the day and when Eochaid arrived he found the house deserted. His enquiries amongst the local people were less than helpful as no one had seen either Eoric or Gemma all day. The King decided he would wait for them to return and he searched through the house to find something to eat. When there was still no sign of them by nightfall, he curled up in one of the beds in the house and slept the night away. Daybreak brought no sign of his daughter and good-son and he now began to worry. If they had planned to travel some distance then Eoric would have taken some troops with him. People would have known about that if it had happened. No, it was far more likely that they hadn't gone far and if that was the case, where were they? Eochaid organised the locals and his own men into search parties to scour the immediate surroundings. The search went on all day, but was unsuccessful. Once more Eochaid slept the night in Eoric's house and by morning he was both anxious and ready to return to Dunadd. It was possible the young couple had set out to visit him and that they had passed each other on the road. An image in his head of Gemma nearly dying at Dunadd some weeks before was enough to have him running for his horse and calling for his men to mount up. ------- Sarah tried to persuade the Bauchailleen to take her to where Eoric might be found. The faeries knew where he was, but insisted that his orders had been to rescue her if necessary and then to keep her safe, not rescue her and then go traipsing round the country. The non-stop pranks of the little red-hatted faeries were driving Sarah crazy though and she became more and more insistent about looking for her saviour. "I can't remain cooped up in this cave anymore. It's unhealthy, so you're already defying Eoric's orders by keeping me here. I demand that you take me to him!" she said. "Oh, she demands, she demands does she? If you need to get fresh air or walk about, one of us will go with you, but we are not risking a journey of the length needed to go to where Eoric is," replied one of the Bauchailleen. Sarah shrieked loudly and the Bauchailleen fell around giggling. One of them had sneaked up behind her and had dangled a spider over her head and in front of her face. "No more!" she said, "I can't take any more of your childish pranks. Last night I found a live bat under my blanket, this morning all of the bristles fell out of my brush when I tried to brush my hair and then one of the leaves I had for lunch turned out to be a nettle! I've had enough, we need to leave this cave." "It's not safe to leave and anyway you shouldn't think about walking such long distances in your condition," said one of the faeries. "What do you mean 'in my condition'?" Sarah asked. "You have a baby growing inside you," the Bauchailleen replied. Sarah stared at the faery open mouthed at this statement. She had thought herself barren after the harsh treatment she had received at the hands of Anarg. In a way she had been thankful for that given the numerous rapes she had suffered. The last thing she needed was to have the savage's child and fortunately that hadn't happened. Now she considered her position anew. If she was with child it had to Eoric's and that made it even more important that she find him, find him quickly and share her news. "I've had quite enough of your behaviour master faery. I insist you take me to Eoric or I will remove your hats!" she said firmly. She was surprised when her threat brought only more fits of giggles from the Bauchailleen until they explained to her that as a mere human she wouldn't be able to do that, their hats were entirely safe from her. "If I can't, how is it that Eoric can? He's a human too you've told me, how can it be that he can remove your hats?" she asked indignantly. The Bauchailleen stopped their giggling and grew sombre. "We don't know how he can do it, but it is clear he can. That's one of the abilities we spoke of earlier, one of the things that sets him apart from other humans." Sarah had to accept that she was not going to get her way and as she had no idea where Eoric might be herself, there was nothing else to do but put up with the pranks and the company of the Bauchailleen for some time longer. She only hoped Eoric would come for her soon. Meantime she placed her hands on her stomach and abdomen and smiled to herself at the prospect of having his child. ------- Merlin/Gemma continued to ride as hard as he could in an attempt to catch up with Nimue. He tried another reveal spell soon after leaving Dalriada and was delighted when the tracks of two horses immediately became clear. It seemed that Nimue had judged herself safe once she had left Eochaid's kingdom and had stopped using her conceal magic. With the path now visible to him, he slowed his pace slightly to allow his horse a breather. He also wondered about food and water. As a spirit he hadn't needed to bother about these for the past few weeks, but he knew Gemma's body would need to be sustained. Looking around himself he could sense that night wasn't far off and he began to look for a place to rest up for a few hours. As Merlin prepared to skirt one of the many woods he had come across, he saw that Nimue's tracks led into it. He was forced to follow or lose her, so follow he did. He was surprised when he came across a campsite not too far into the trees and he dismounted to check the fire to see whether he could gauge how long it was since she had passed this way. When the wizard detected some small amount of heat in the very centre of the fire he smiled grimly to himself. It appeared as if Nimue was only ten or twelve hours in front of him. If he pressed on and then only took a short break until dawn, he might make up some ground on her. He was already suspicious as to where she was ultimately heading. His vision had put her in the Clyde valley heading south and to him that could only mean one thing - she was heading towards the Saxons. He mounted up once more and followed Nimue's tracks as they moved away from the camp and out of the woods southwards. He rode on until dusk was truly falling and then found a spot to rest up beside a small lochan. Catching a duck for supper proved easy enough for the great wizard in Gemma's body and he soon had it plucked and roasting over a small fire. After he had eaten he rolled her body up in a blanket and edged closer to the fire before falling asleep. Merlin/Gemma's eyes opened and he was awake. Just like that, he had gone from deep sleep to wide awake as his body sensed the first light of dawn appearing over the horizon. He ate the last of the duck from the night before and then cupped water into his hands to drink. He looked at the quality of the water before it reached his mouth and he changed his mind. It didn't look clear and the last thing he needed was to give Gemma's body some kind of illness when he was using it to hunt the Lady of the Loch down. Merlin mounted up and continued on southwards, pleased to see that Nimue's tracks were still plainly visible. He pressed on down Clydesdale and followed the signs as they skirted the Pentland Hills and then swung southeast. By mid afternoon he could see that he was nearing the Cheviot Hills and his nose detected the smell of a fire. He left the banks of the River Clyde that he had been following and entered the trees to find another campsite. The ashes in this fire were still noticeably hot and Merlin guessed it had been lit this morning. That put him perhaps only just over half a day behind Nimue and gaining. He decided to risk crossing the Cheviot Hills, hoping he could do so before nightfall as he didn't like the idea of sleeping out that high up, even in summer. Merlin urged the horse forward and let it pick its own way up the steep path that wound its way towards the summit. It was getting close to dusk when he stopped the horse not far from the Kielder Water. Nimue's tracks had simply disappeared in front of him. He cast another reveal spell, but as had happened back in Taynuilt the spell was defeated by equally strong concealing magic. Merlin glanced from the point on the ground where the tracks ended to the large lake in front of him. He had a fair idea that his quest was almost at an end. This was just the kind of spot where the Lady of the Loch would have a bolt hole. ------- Nimue had made all of the necessary preparations and she was now ready to cast the series of complicated spells that would give her access to everything contained in Eoric's head. The process involved had three stages, each of which required concentration and the precise use of rare ingredients. The first stage involved the concoction of a powerful potion that included the rare ingredients, including powdered human liver, a plant that grew only above three thousand feet and the extract from a weed that grew at the very bottom of the deepest lochs. This potion opened Eoric's mind from the inside and made it more readily accessible. The second stage involved casting spells around Eoric to help his thoughts be transmitted through the air around him without any loss of information. These spells would have looked impressive to any onlooker as they involved a number of spectacular flashes/explosions in the air, two of them with particularly bright blue and green flames. The third and final stage involved Nimue herself extending all of her energy to make the connection with Eoric's unprotected mind and channelling his thoughts and memories from his head into her own. Nimue lifted Eoric's head and carefully spooned the potion between his lips. She took her time, mopping up the boy's chin to clean any of the potion that escaped from his mouth and soon had the entire bowlfull inside him. She let his head fall back onto the stone table and stood, smiling at the fact that this first stage had gone well. She cast the air spells next and everything went off without a hitch with those too, leaving only the extraction of the information to come. She decided to give her potion just a little longer to work at weakening his mind's natural resistance before she attempted connecting with him. After a further ten minutes, her patience ran out and she sat herself down with her glass ball on her knee to start the final part of the process. Over the years Nimue had stored considerable energy and power within the glass ball and she harnessed some of that now as she focussed on Eoric's mind. As her essence radiated outwards she could feel the conductive qualities in the air surrounding the boy and also that the potion had worked as some of Eoric's memories were already leaking from him without any help from her. It was only when she tried to firm up on the connection with Eoric's mind that she knew something was wrong. She felt her essence grabbed by something enormously powerful and a searing heat surged back up the connection towards her own mind. She only just managed to sever the link between them or she felt sure her mind would have been fried to a crisp. She stood up and began pacing, anger and frustration building within her. This was the second time she had been thwarted from taking his knowledge, thwarted by some kind of magic that she had no knowledge of. She tried to calm herself so that she could try and work through this problem. She had control of the boy; she just needed to figure out how to access his secrets. In one way the fact that she had been unsuccessful twice excited her, as it was proof positive that the boy did know lore that she didn't, powerful lore at that. Before she could begin to think about other ways of accessing the information she wanted, she saw her glass ball begin to glow and she picked it up once more. She peered into the depths of the ball and saw the face of Æthelfrith, King of the Saxons of Bernicia. "Nimue, you have returned to your lair, good! I need to discuss with you how our plans are going in the north. I'm already on my way to you, as I was worried at how long you have been out of touch. Word of Arthur's death has reached us so I assume that everything is going well. I should be with you tomorrow," said the King. "I look forward to seeing you again, your Majesty," she replied before the connection was abruptly cut. "Curses, I will needs must delay further attempts with the boy and hide him away from the King. Still, there will be plenty of time to play once he has gone," she thought to herself. ------- Merlin identified a place where Gemma's body could rest up and still keep the spot where the tracks disappeared in sight. He proceeded to cast spells of concealment all around himself so that he wouldn't be seen by anyone and then let the princess's body lie down and rest. He woke once more with the dawn and went in search of something to feed Gemma's body with. He quickly found a ducks nest with ten large duck eggs in it and he took three. He returned to his 'hide' and made a small hole in either end of one of the eggs. That allowed him to suck the protein rich egg from within the shell. He smiled to himself as he thought that Gemma would probably turn her nose up at such fare if she was herself right now. It tasted just fine to him though and the remaining two eggs quickly followed the first, leaving him content that that was enough fuel for now. He propped his/Gemma's back up against a tree bole and waited for something to happen. Three hours or so later he heard the sound of many horses approaching and watched as a troop of fifty or so mounted men rode into view. They pulled up perhaps fifty yards away and one solitary rider came forward alone. Merlin had never met with Æthelfrith, but he guessed that this was he. "Curiouser and curiouser," he thought to himself, "Nimue is tied up with the King of Bernicia." As he watched the King, Nimue appeared out of nowhere and he heard her greet the Saxon by his name and title, confirming his guess as to the man's identity. Merlin was annoyed with himself, as he had let his attention be taken up with the Saxon and hadn't spotted where Nimue had come from. He concentrated on her now, rather than the King and waited for her to return to whatever secret pathway she had used. Despite the fact he was focussing on Nimue intensely, he was still surprised when both she and the King simply disappeared. One moment they had been walking towards a cliff face and the next they were gone. Merlin quickly identified a prominent feature in the rock of the cliff-face so that he could investigate the exact point they had vanished at. There was nothing left for him to do but wait for the King to leave again so that he could hopefully rescue Eoric. He didn't have to wait too long, as the King appeared barely an hour later. Merlin watched as he mounted his horse and rode back to join his men then the entire troop wheeled and trotted off the way they had come. He waited another hour to be sure they had truly gone and then he emerged from cover and made his way over to the cliff face. The feature he had picked out in the rock helped Merlin walk directly to the spot where he knew an entrance had to be. His close scrutiny of the rock revealed nothing however, and he ran his hands over the rock trying to find anything that might help him. He stepped back and tried to think about how he would conceal an entrance he didn't want found. Nimue's weakness perhaps was that she had learned all of her lore from him so whatever she had used he should know how to use it too. He ran through all of the unlocking spells he knew but nothing happened. Next he tried a range of illusion spells in the hope that Nimue had simply painted an illusion to cover the entrance. Nothing. "I'm thinking like a man. How would a woman conceal an entrance like this?" he asked himself. } He decided that a woman would think logically and come up with something quick and simple. With that in mind he walked up to the rock face and spoke to it. "Open," he said. Amazingly, the rock face swung open to reveal a passageway that was lit with torches. Merlin could see that it angled downwards, no doubt heading underneath Kielder Water. He made his way forward carefully and quietly now, mindful that Nimue might have set traps for anyone who was good enough to have opened her rock doorway. It took him perhaps ten minutes to reach the end of the passageway at the pace he moved at, but at least he hadn't been caught up in any traps. He peered round the archway that was situated at the end of the passage and was presented with a picture of Nimue's back leaning over Eoric's body. "Come in Merlin, I expected you sooner. You must be walking slower in your old age," she said to him as she turned. This time Merlin had prepared himself for his encounter with her and his most powerful spell was already ready. When Nimue turned she was momentarily thrown off balance by the sight of Gemma in front of her rather than the wizard she had expected. As a result Merlin's attack was on her before she could think. The wizard threw his/Gemma's arms up in front of him and twin blasts of pure magical energy flew across the cave towards Nimue. With instantaneous reflexes, she managed to throw up a shield before the blasts hit her, but this was nothing like she had ever experienced before. Her shield disintegrated and around a quarter of the energy was used up. The remaining energy lifted her and slammed her body into the rock of the cave wall. The power in the blasts forced her body into the actual rock for three feet before she stopped, now almost a human fossil with flesh, bone and rock completely fused together. Merlin smiled with satisfaction. "I should have done that some time ago my dear Nimue." He crossed to where Eoric was lying and reached out to grasp his hand. He could immediately feel the power and energy pulsing through him from the young man and then he heard a voice in his head. "Good, Merlin, it's you. We have maintained his energy levels by drawing on the rock beneath him. But he needs something else before he can shake off the drug she has used on him. Here's what you need to do, with any luck she will have all of the ingredients in her store through there on the right." Merlin recognised that this was Eoric's inner voice speaking to him and passing on the lore required to counteract Nimue's drugs. He listened carefully to the list of ingredients and quantities that were now given to him and then he searched Nimue's stores to find them all. It took almost an hour to brew up the remedy and then he had to wait a further fifteen minutes before it was cool enough to administer. He held Eoric's head up and spooned some of this new mixture between his lips. "That's enough." When he heard the voice say this he let Eoric's head fall back onto the tabletop and stepped back. It only took a few minutes before signs of the young man's recovery became obvious. Merlin watched in amazement as the boy sat up five minutes later as if nothing had happened to him. "Um, I must still be feeling the effects of whatever was in the ale because I can see both Gemma and Merlin. Where am I and what's happened?" he asked as he blinked repeatedly. ------- Chapter 18 Eoric continued to soak up energy from the rock around him in the cave and gradually his senses returned to their full capacity. He was staring at Gemma, but having connected to her, he could see the way her mind had been devastated. The presence of Merlin now made sense to him and he realised the wizard had acted quickly in order to save him. "Well met, Merlin. My thanks for rescuing me from the clutches of such an evil witch. I can see that Nimue has received a fitting reward for all that she has done, you have done us all a service by dealing with her. I can sense you are concerned over my reaction to your use of Gemma's body, but you shouldn't be. I think she herself would have accepted the fact that you had little choice my friend," Eoric said. "Nevertheless, I'm sorry I had to take over her body, Eoric, but I hope you can see that I couldn't leave her behind in the state she was in with no one to look after her. I grieve for your loss my young friend," Merlin replied. "My loss, Merlin? What loss?" Eoric asked. "Gemma, my friend. I know how much you two loved each other and Nimue has simply torn her mind asunder. Surely you can feel the shocking damage that has been done. I'm afraid the princess as you knew her is gone forever," the wizard said. "Merlin, I have spent many hours with Gemma, connected with her intimately. I know every memory, every quirky little part of her essence. The very love you talk of ensured that I had to know everything about her and I have it all imprinted here inside my own head. I can see how her mind has been shattered and the pieces scattered around, but I know how to put it all back together again so that she will be herself," Eoric said with a smile. Merlin simply looked at Eoric for a few moments. He had not considered such a thing possible, but Eoric was so calm and sounded totally convincing when he said it. Such an ability was far above anything that he could do as a wizard and he was beginning to suspect that Eoric had huge untapped capabilities. "Here is a wonder, Eoric. To be able to do that is beyond anything I have ever heard of. I continue to be surprised by the extent of what you are capable of. I suspect you have not even scratched the surface of your full ability yet my friend. Come, we need to be heading back to Dalriada and I can at least act as your guide for that. Once we are safely there you can do what you need to do to heal Gemma. At that point I feel my time with you really will be at an end, I sense my spirit has hung around solely to settle matters with Nimue. Now that that's done, I should be able to rest in peace," said Merlin. Eoric sensed the truth of this and was saddened at the prospect of losing the old wizard for a second time. He was still young enough to be plagued by uncertainty and insecurity and having Merlin around was something of a security blanket for him. He thought about Merlin's words with regard to his abilities and recalled a previous conversation when Merlin had suggested they might grow the more he used them. Perhaps there was something in that after all. His experience so far was that when he needed something it was just there - he hadn't had to think about how to repair Gemma's mind, the lore had simply come to him and he knew what to do. There was a lot to think about he decided, but for now, Merlin's suggestion that they should start the journey back to Dalriada made sense. Eoric stooped and picked up Nimue's glass ball and then joined Merlin. They made their way carefully back up the passageway that led to the outside world. Merlin hadn't closed the entrance behind himself and quite quickly they could determine the daylight up ahead that marked the exit. As Eoric stepped out into the daylight he heard a shout from his left and looked up to see a band of mounted men, perhaps fifty or so strong. "It's Æthelfrith, King of Bernicia" cried Merlin from behind him, "if they stop us and find out who we are we could be in trouble. We need to make a run for it!" The pair of them dashed off, heading for the cover of the nearby trees. The sounds of drumming hooves were loud in their ears as they passed the first of the thick oaks. Both hoped that the trees would slow their pursuers and give them a chance to make a getaway. Eoric glanced back over his shoulder and could see the horses were gaining on them. Without any further thought he grabbed Merlin/Gemma and hoisted him over his shoulder, drawing more energy up from the earth as he did so. Merlin was looking backwards now and he felt the surge of pace that Eoric was able to produce. The gap between themselves and the mounted Saxons didn't close any further and he breathed a sigh of relief. After a few more minutes Merlin was sure that they were actually drawing away from the horses and it began to look like they were going to escape. His relief was brought up short when Eoric skidded to a halt and cursed hotly. Merlin felt himself being lowered so he could stand and when he turned he saw the reason for Eoric's curse. The trees ended abruptly at a cliff's edge and there was a yawning chasm of more than a hundred feet before them. When Eoric looked down he could see the running water of a stream and piles of loose soil and debris below. He guessed the stream and the weather were eroding the cliff face and over time they had widened the gap that now existed. He glanced over his shoulder and could see the horses were only about forty yards behind them now and closing rapidly. "We'll have to take our chances and jump unless you want to try and talk our way out of this," he said to Merlin. "No, Nimue was working with them so that can only mean they have a vested interest in harming our cause. I can't think of a believable story that they won't want to check out with her and as soon as they go back to her cave they'll know we killed her. It looks like a long way down, but I agree we need to chance it," the wizard replied. "Okay, join hands and we'll take a run and jump. Ready? On the count of three then. One, two, three!" Eoric shouted. They both ran at the cliff edge and jumped out into the abyss. The fall to the water was all of twenty feet and Merlin closed his/Gemma's eyes as soon as he saw he was heading for the water. There was no way for Merlin to determine just how deep the water in the stream was and therein lay the gamble for him, Eoric sensed it would be enough to break their fall. Merlin was surprised when the falling sensation stopped but he didn't hit the water. Then he heard hysterical laughter. When he opened his eyes he saw that Eoric was holding him up and... Eoric was flying! When he glanced at the young man he could see the excited gleam in his eyes and heard the continued laughter. The 'flight' lasted only a few more seconds and then they both came down to earth with a bump on the opposite side of the chasm from where they had started. Eoric picked himself up and dusted the dirt from his kilt and plaid. He looked back across the gap just in time to see the horsemen pull up at the edge of the cliff. He raised a hand and waved to them, a broad smile on his face. The way ahead was through more trees and Eoric now led the way with Merlin following along, his amazement at what had just happened still clearly written on his face. Their flight had left them without a horse and with no clear idea of exactly where they were. Once they were well out of sight of the Saxons, Eoric called a halt so they could take stock and decide how to proceed. Merlin was able to describe his route south and Eoric used his connection to the earth to extend his awareness outwards until he identified the Cheviot Hills and beyond them, the Pentlands. That solved the problem of finding their way back over the border and Eoric re-assured Merlin that he would be able to carry him and keep up the same pace running as he had before. ------- Eochaid had returned to Dunadd but still there was no sign of his daughter or good-son. He set up squads of men to scour the whole of Dalriada in an effort to find them or unearth any news as to their whereabouts, all without any success. It was as if the pair had simply vanished off of the face of the earth. He feared some kind of foul play, but once more there were no suggestions or descriptions of any strangers or people acting suspiciously. The only thing of any note that caught his attention was an off-hand remark by one of his men. It seemed that there were two druids living close to where Eoric had set up his house. Eochaid knew he had an in-built bias against the druids ever since he had been poisoned, but that didn't mean his suspicions were without some merit. He decided that it would be worthwhile paying these druids a visit to see whether they knew anything. The ride to Taynuilt took most of the day to complete but the summer days were long and it was still light when Eochaid and forty mounted troopers rode up to the house that had been pointed out to them. He became doubly suspicious when no one came out to find out what was going on and when he beat on the door with the handle of his sword there was no answer. Eochaid sent some of his troops round to the rear of the house and tried the door. He found the door was locked and very quickly a shout came from the rear to alert him that something was going on there. He ran round the house and found a number of his men wrestling two robed druids to the grass. "Why run unless you're guilty of something?" he asked himself. He wasted no more time in trying to get information out of these two. He strode forward and thrust his sword down and through the hand of one of the struggling druids, effectively pinning him to the ground. "I know both of you were involved in what has happened to my daughter and the Lord of Lorne," he lied, "tell me where they are and I might spare your miserable lives!" The druid with the blade through his hand was thrashing about in agony and couldn't speak, but his friend had witnessed the casual violence of the King and knew he was next. In an attempt to save himself, he began to babble out the whole story. "It was Nimue, Sire. She was hot to get her hands on the boy, wanted him at all costs. She did something to take control of the princess's mind and used her to drug Eoric. She has carried him away, where to I have no idea, she didn't share that with us," he snivelled. "Nimue! Merlin should have dealt with her while he had the chance. Now she returns to cause untold harm. What happened to my daughter? Was she taken as well?" he asked the druid. "No, Sire. The princess was left in the house when Nimue took the boy. She seemed to have been rendered a simpleton by the witch's attack and there was nothing we could do with her," the druid responded, realising as he did so that the King's face was growing blacker by the second. Eochaid listened with growing anger as this worm on the ground in front of him described how his daughter had been attacked and left behind as some kind of human vegetable. He couldn't control his rage and pulled his sword from the hand of one druid so that he could slash the head of the second one from his shoulders. He turned to the first druid who was no trying to nurse his injured hand. "You'll mark that I only said I might spare your lives. Now, out with it, where has my daughter been taken or you will find your head beside your friend's! Quickly man, where is she?" he shouted. Eochaid could see the man was terrified. He had just had his hand skewered by a sword and watched his friend's head being lopped off with a single stroke from the King. The front of the druid's robe suddenly developed a dark stain at the front and Eochaid guessed the man was wetting himself with fear. "Sire, I know nothing, had nothing to do with any of it. It is as he said, the princess was left behind at the house and Nimue rode off with the boy. I swear to you, Sire, I don't know anything else!" the druid cried urgently, pleading for Eochaid to believe him. The King did indeed believe him. The druid's terror was too real for him to be trying to hold anything back at this stage. Eochaid's thinking now was quite simple. If the druid didn't know anything he was of no further use and he had played a part in the attack on his daughter and Eoric. He reversed his sword and ran the druid through, the blade entering his stomach with such force behind it that it carried on until it exited his back and buried itself in the earth under him. Eochaid smiled as he tugged the blade free. "As you say druid, you know nothing so I have no use for you. Pray to whatever god you worship man, pray as you feel your life's blood drain from your worthless carcass!" he said as he turned and walked away. ------- Sarah was at her wits end with the Bauchailleen. She knew she couldn't take any more of their pranks and childish behaviour. She was smart enough to know the sun rose in the east and set in the west and she had been secretly taking bearings over the past two days. She had pinpointed a distant peak as being almost due south and she intended to slip away from the annoying little faeries and head in that direction. One of the Bauchailleen had let slip the fact that Eoric was the Lord of Lorne and she knew Lorne was in Dalriada. Her sketchy geography was good enough for her to estimate where Dalriada was and she knew it was south of Dalwhinnie. The walks she was allowed to take had allowed her to confirm the faeries hadn't taken her very far from the Pictish settlement so she had put all of this together and believed she could find her way to her man. "My man, the man who is the father of my child!" she thought to herself with a smile. Sarah had also been saving a little of the food the Bauchailleen had been giving her and she felt she had enough to keep her going for three or four days. It wasn't a lot, but she wouldn't starve. All that was left to do was for her to pick her moment to slip away. She had noticed that the Bauchailleen were becoming more careless about watching her as the days went past and Eoric's threat to remove their hats lost some of its immediacy. The little faeries seemed to enjoy going out at night to play their games with the local herders and were gone for hours at a time. Sarah decided that one of these occasions would be her best time to escape her nightmare. She had noted the size of the moon the night before and was sure there would be enough light for her to be able to keep her fix on the peak she had chosen. She waited perhaps fifteen minutes after the Bauchailleen had slipped off into the night then she emerged from the cave. She shivered at how cool the air was and returned to the cave to wrap herself in a blanket and recover her little store of food. As she stood at the cave mouth she could clearly see the landmark that would guide her south and she struck out in that direction. The going was not as easy as she had imagined it would be and she was constantly frightened out of her wits by noises around her in the dark. After tripping and falling for the fourth time, she searched around the ground on her hands and knees until one of her hands encountered a large stick. Sarah resumed her journey south, now with her stick helping her test the ground in front of her for obstructions. When she was too tired to walk any further she wrapped herself in her blanket and fell asleep instantly. ------- Merlin was amazed at the pace and stamina of the young man who was carrying him while running back towards Dalriada. They were already heading back up Clydesdale and the wizard knew that they had come half as far again as he had managed to cover in a day on horseback. Eoric even had enough breath left to answer questions as they went. "You flew, Eoric. You flew. How did you know you could suddenly fly," Merlin asked. "I didn't. I was preparing myself for the drop into the water just as you were, but somehow I felt myself continuing to travel across rather than down. I still don't understand how I did it to be honest. I've tried jumping a few times as we're running, but I don't feel the same sensations as I did back at the cliff," Eoric responded, "it's like a few other occasions, when I've needed something badly it just seems to be there for me." "As I suspected, there is far more to your abilities than you have uncovered so far. Who knows what else you can do?" said the wizard. When the light started to go they found a campsite and Eoric set Merlin/Gemma down while he built a fire. He disappeared for twenty minutes and when he returned he had two fine trout with him. He used his small knife to clean and prepare the fish and then stuck them on a stick and held them over the fire. "Merlin, I have been thinking about what you said earlier and I have an offer to make to you. For weeks now I have sensed that we are meant to work together on this great project of uniting the Celtic tribes. If you come out of Gemma's body, you believe your spirit will leave this earth behind for the last time. What if there was an alternative that still allowed you to help me with our project?" Eoric asked. It was strange to feel Gemma's eyes looking deeply into his own, but to know that it was actually Merlin who was seeing him. He felt himself assessed and scrutinised now, the eyes of his princess staring at him intently. "You know my passion for the project, Eoric and I would give anything to remain here to guide and advise you, but how could we achieve that?" the wizard asked. "What if I was able to assimilate you, absorb you into my body? I already have the essence of four faeries inside me, so maybe it's possible?" Eoric suggested. Merlin considered this for a few moments and then came to a decision. "I know that you are going to try and repair the damage done to Gemma whatever happens," he said, "so I currently face the real prospect of becoming nothing. In the face of that, making the attempt is a no lose situation for me, but what about you? Do you really want to be saddled with a grouchy old wizard inside you, party to all of your thoughts and actions?" Eoric laughed at Merlin's description of himself. What he knew was that he needed the wizard's guidance and advice and he had no concerns about that coming from within himself. He had quickly grown used to his inner voice talking to him and he now found it strangely comforting to know that there was a presence there always looking out for his safety. "I would be honoured to have you in there, Merlin. I know I'm too young still to function on my own without making a lot of mistakes. I'm happy to try it if you are?" "Let's do it!" the wizard said excitedly. "What, now?" Eoric asked, surprised at Merlin's sudden enthusiasm. "Yes, now that you've mentioned the possibility I like the idea. Come on, let's try it. I'm only delaying the inevitable anyway. The sooner we try it, the sooner you can work on Gemma, said Merlin. Eoric agreed and positioned Merlin/Gemma so that she wouldn't be injured if Merlin lost control of her body. He knelt beside Gemma's body and held her hand, feeling the strong connection with Merlin. "Have you any words of advice on how this might work?" he asked his inner voice. "Not really, we don't know how we ended up here and since that happened you've done several things we have no knowledge of. It seems to work for you when you just need something to happen." Eoric focussed and began to soak up even more energy from Mother Nature. He felt the thread connecting him to Merlin's essence and he began to try and pull the wizard across the link. He kept at this for several minutes, but it was clear it wasn't going to work. His next effort involved expelling Merlin from Gemma's body and then trying to absorb his spirit from the air, perhaps that would be easier. Merlin found himself subjected to an irresistible force and he felt his hold on Gemma's body snap. His spirit floated gently above the young girl, but he knew something wasn't right. "Eoric, you need to be quick, I can feel another force at work, pulling me away from you! Pulling me to oblivion," he projected urgently. Eoric could sense the wizard being pulled away from him too and he focussed hard on holding onto him. As Merlin's essence started to grow fainter and fainter he realised he was failing. "Don't think about it, just do it!" his inner voice urged him. Eoric took this advice and let his mind go, blanking out the focus he had been concentrating on. As he did that he felt Merlin's essence disappear completely and he dropped his head sadly. The old wizard was gone and his attempt hadn't worked. "I beg to differ, Eoric. It's a little crowded in here, but cosy. I've got an entirely new perspective on what you have going on inside you too, interesting, very interesting," came Merlin's voice from inside him. "Merlin? Is it really you?" Eoric asked. "It's him alright and he's right, it is getting a little cramped now. Don't be thinking about adding anyone else anytime soon," came his 'normal' inner voice. Eoric quickly turned his attention to Gemma now and he sorted through the many fragments of memory and all the other things that had formed what she was as an individual. He had already called up a map of what her mind had looked like before Nimue had attacked her and began to put the pieces back together as they had been. Merlin and the faeries remained in the background observing what Eoric was doing. The young man worked at his task, letting all his love for this girl bleed across as he basically rebuilt her as an individual. There was only one area where Merlin and the faeries felt him hesitate and that was when he came across the shards of memory that covered his 'confession' about Sarah. Merlin could sense Eoric pause and reflect on this incident and Gemma's reaction to it. As he began to put the pieces together, Eoric tried to re-inforce how much he still loved her and that his feelings for Sarah were not a reflection on that or indeed a threat to their relationship. He added some of his own memories of Sarah and what she had been through, what she was like as a person and hoped this slight amendment would help repair how his princess felt about him. Finished at last, Eoric allowed a surge of energy to flow through his connection to Gemma and watched with concern to see whether his work had been successful. Gemma's eyelids flickered and opened and Eoric breathed a sigh of relief as he sensed her essence whole once more. She smiled at him and looked around to try and identify where she was. Her last memory was of being in the house and discussing something to do with a Saxon woman called Sarah. The fact that she was out in the woods was a puzzle and she looked at Eoric questioningly. Eoric began to explain what had happened to her and how Merlin had used her body to save him and deal with Nimue. Gemma groaned. "That explains why I've got so many pains in so many places. He must have been walking like a man, using muscles that I wouldn't normally use. I need to have words with that wizard when I next meet up with him," she said with a grin. Eoric didn't share Merlin's fate with her just yet, feeling she had already dealt with too much. That revelation could wait a little. They were both up early the next morning and Eoric pulled Gemma onto his back and began running once more, soaking up energy so he could maintain his furious pace. Progress slowed a little as he climbed through the Campsies and then over the Trossachs, but he still managed to get them to Taynuilt before last light. Gemma worked to prepare something for them to eat and then they retired for the night, completely ignorant of the worry that Eochaid was going through. ------- Sarah had woken at first light and knew she had to resume her journey quickly before the Bauchailleen caught up with her. She walked for three more days, asking herders for directions to where the Lord of Lorne might be found. When the lovely Saxon woman was still three or four miles away Eoric became aware of her presence. He connected with her and found himself swamped by conflicting emotions. He read her mind and saw the detail of what had happened to her in the settlement at Dalwhinnie and her rescue by the Bauchailleen. Anger surged through him at Anarg's attempt to have her killed. He also read the information that she was pregnant with his child and that news filled him with joy. Finally he grew anxious, as he knew that Sarah was hell bent on finding him to share her news with him. He worried about how Gemma would react. He didn't have to wait long. Several hours later Sarah appeared on the path leading up to the house and she stopped when she saw him standing at the door with Gemma by his side. The significance of the girl was obvious to her and Eoric's reluctance to progress matters with her now made perfect sense. He was married. Sarah had little time to consider how she felt about this new development. She was homeless, penniless and pregnant. For her there was little choice, she needed to go to him and throw herself on his mercy. She too now became anxious about how Eoric's wife was going to react to her appearance and her news. Eoric was worried, but what happened next left him stunned. Gemma pushed past him and ran along the path to meet Sarah. She hugged the woman and there were tears in her eyes as she led Sarah back to the house. "Oh, Sarah! I feel as if I have known you for a long time. Thank goodness you are safe and away from that savage. You poor thing, how you managed to survive that hell I'll never know. Now you are here with two people who love you and will look after you," Gemma gushed. Eoric couldn't believe his ears and realised that Gemma seemed to be responding in a completely unexpected way to the slight alteration he had made to her memories. Some of his feelings for Sarah appeared to have coloured how she was responding to the woman and her awareness about the trials Sarah had been through could only have come from him. He held his breath when Sarah blurted out that she was with child and that the father was Eoric. "Of course he is, Sarah, of course he is. Between us we will have many of his children and you're just lucky to be having the first. Come on, let's get you inside so you can rest and have something to eat my love," Gemma said. Both Eoric and Sarah shook their heads in amazement and confusion. This was not even close to what either of them had expected. ------- Chapter 19 Word had quickly reached Eochaid that Eoric and Gemma had returned to Taynuilt. While he was immensely relieved, the King was also annoyed that his daughter and good-son had not sent word to him that they were safe. Indeed, from the reports he had received from the now dead druids, he wasn't even sure what state his daughter was in. They had described her as mentally disabled in some way and as all fathers do with regard to their daughters, he worried about her. Nothing would do but that the King would once again ride for Taynuilt, at least this time with a certainty that he would find someone at home. Eochaid set out from Dunadd in the first few days of August with a close guard of fifty mounted troops. They rode up Loch Awe side until the Loch began to wind its way west and thinned dramatically before it gave out altogether in the shadow of mighty Ben Cruachan. Another half an hour of riding brought them to Taynuilt and Eochaid approached the relatively small stone built house that Eoric had made his home in. As the King drew near to the house he was surprised to see Gemma sitting outside with another woman. The second woman had yellow hair much like his own and was strikingly beautiful he thought. "Sweet Jesu, don't tell me that this is the Saxon woman that Eoric was so worried about? Herein lies a tale I'll warrant. One minute the boy is wracked with guilt about his dalliance and the next he looks to have moved the woman into his household. So much for his concerns about my daughter's reaction. It seems this old dog can still offer advice when it comes to the ways of women, for did I not tell him that he was worrying too much?" the King thought to himself, as he pulled his horse up before the two womenfolk. "Sire, it is good to see you. Can I offer you refreshments?" Gemma asked. She was puzzled at the look her father was giving her. The King was examining her closely, looking for any signs of the mental trauma that the druids had described. As far as he could see there was no difference in Gemma from the last time he had spoken with her. She smiled and spoke as she always had. That was something of a relief, but relief quickly gave way to his annoyance. "Daughter, I have had men out scouring the whole of this Dalriada for you and my errant good-son for ten days now. Where have you been and why didn't you send word that you had returned safe and well?" he levelled at her. Gemma was taken aback by the King's tone and looked at him askance. Of course, she had had no idea that Eochaid was aware that she and Eoric had been through so much in the past five days or so and they had therefore no idea he was worried. "Sire, we were not aware that you had missed us. Certainly we knew nothing of this search that you seem to have been conducting and if we had we would have sent word to you or indeed would have called in at Dunadd on our way north. But manners, Sire, manners. Let me introduce Sarah. She has been through many years of hardship after having been abducted by the heathenish Picts. She has suffered brutality on a scale that I can only imagine and feel horrified about. Now Eoric has saved her and brought her to live with us. At last it maybe, Sarah's life is taking a turn for the better for she carries Eoric's child," said Gemma with a smile. This series of statements stunned Eochaid. Not only was his daughter welcoming the Saxon woman in the full knowledge that Eoric had slept with her, she seemed unmoved by the news that the woman was carrying the young man's child. He admitted to himself that Eoric had chosen well, Sarah was indeed all but perfect. Still, he was surprised at just how calmly, happily even; his daughter was taking the situation. "I'm pleased to meet you, Sarah and I'm happy you have been freed from the clutches of the savages. Eoric has mentioned you to me and it seems that between you, the three of you have worked things out to your satisfaction," Eochaid said a little stiffly. Sarah was still as confused at her situation as Eochaid seemed to be. She could see that he was puzzled at her apparent acceptance by Gemma, despite her pregnancy and she was none the less surprised herself. She had expected harsh words from Eoric's wife, but instead she had been shown genuine love and affection. As a result she was quickly growing to like the princess and an unlikely bond was forming between them. Once the women had the King indoors, Gemma prepared food for him to eat. She could see him looking round the house as if expecting to see Eoric, but there was no sign of the young man and she explained his absence. "Eoric is out fetching some fish for supper, Sire. Always he is successful so if you care to wait you might do better than this bread and cheese in a short while?" she asked. The King nodded his assent at this suggestion and sipped on a beaker of ale that Gemma provided while they waited. Eochaid's curiosity about what had happened to his daughter and Eoric was now tormenting him, but he managed to push it aside to wait for Eoric's return. He wanted to hear the full tale and guessed that would require the Lord of Lorne's presence. ------- Eoric had made his way to the shores of Loch Etive in search of some sea salmon. Sitting on the banks, he had rested while looking across at Beinn Mheadhonach on the opposite shore. The peak was around two thousand five hundred feet high and it served as a dramatic backdrop to the large sea loch in front of him. As he lay back and just basked in the natural beauty, soaking up all that Mother Nature provided of her bounty, he sensed the presence of King Eochaid Buide in Taynuilt. He smiled to himself and made a note to catch an extra fish for his guest then roused himself to wade a short way into the water. Ever since he had absorbed the faeries, those elements that had come from the Uruisge had lent him a significant affinity with water and he now revelled at the feel of the salt water licking around his lower legs and thighs. Extending his senses he reached out to identify what he had come for and soon found a number of fairly large salmon. He couldn't see the fish so couldn't use his ability to call them to him, so instead he shucked off his clothing and leapt forward into the water. Once submerged the transformation in the young man was wondrous to behold. Anyone seeing him would be left in no doubt that here was a creature born to be in the water. His body jack-knifed and took him deeper and then it undulated as he powered himself forward in the direction of the fish. He didn't use his arms to swim, only his body, his legs and his feet. The length of time he remained underwater also made it clear that he was somehow managing to take in oxygen as he went. Eoric was enjoying himself so much that he avoided the fish for the moment and simply swam around for a while longer. The water was clear with a greenish-blue tinge to it and he could see the loch bed below him. At last he sensed the darkness was beginning to gather and he sped up, becoming almost a blur in the water as he aimed directly for two large salmon over to his left. The fish were caught completely unawares and his hands snagged them both as he powered through the water, sweeping round now to head back to the shore where his clothes lay. Eoric let small surges of energy pass through both of his hands to quickly and painlessly kill the fish. He climbed dripping form the water and shook himself, smiling inanely at the pleasure his swim had brought, as he dropped the fish and pulled on his kilt, shirt and plaid. Once dressed, he recovered the fish and began running back towards the house at Taynuilt. When he arrived he greeted the King, but made himself scarce to dress the fish so that Gemma could begin to cook it. The princess had prepared fresh bread in his absence and the smell of it brought a pleasant mood to the house. Gemma was all business, shooing Sarah out of the kitchen when she tried to assist her, and it wasn't long before large salmon steaks and warm bread were laid on the table. Talk halted while all four of them tucked-in to the tasty fish, but before long Eochaid's curiosity got the better of him and he asked for details of what had happened to the pair in the last week. His annoyance had receded once he had found that his daughter was perfectly fine and that the two youngsters had been blissfully unaware of how anxious he had been. Eoric began the tale with how he had drunk the ale Gemma had given him and then quickly lost consciousness. He stunned the King and Sarah when he then told them how Merlin had taken possession of Gemma's husk of a body and given Nimue pursuit. Gemma and Eoric had not shared the fact that Merlin's spirit had made itself known to them after his death at Dunadd, so Eochaid was puzzled by this reference to the wizard. "But Merlin died, how could he help you?" the King asked. Eoric had to suspend the first story to explain how Merlin had come back. Eochaid shook his head in wonder and disbelief as Eoric took up the story of the chase south once more. He glanced at Sarah and saw she was struggling to take all of this in, his story was so fantastic and unbelievable. When Eoric reached the part where Merlin dealt with Nimue he could see Eochaid smile and nod his head in satisfaction. That look changed to one of intense interest when Eoric explained that Nimue had been working with Æthelfrith and that the Saxon had given chase to him and Merlin/Gemma. Eoric's audience literally stopped breathing and looked at him in amazement when he described how he had had to fly across the wide canyon as they made their escape. Even Gemma had not been aware of this up to this point and she shook her head in wonder at yet another sign of her husband's incredible abilities. Sarah unconsciously let her hand drop to her abdomen and she rubbed herself, wondering what manner of child was growing there. There was further stunned amazement when Eoric described how he had absorbed Merlin into his own body so that he could remain to help and advise him. Then there were tears in the eyes of all three when he described how he had painstakingly and lovingly put Gemma's mind back together again. A little guiltily, Eoric omitted to mention the slight tinkering he had carried out on that one memory of the princess's. The story had been so outlandish and unbelievable that Eoric had suffered very few interruptions from his audience. Mostly he had been faced with stunned silence. Once he had finished there was a rush of questions from Eochaid and Gemma, but a continued and worrying silence from Sarah. "Tell me more of this with regards to Merlin," said Eochaid, "do you really have him inside you? Are you sure that Nimue is actually dead? Will the Saxons be able to link Nimue's death with Dalriada?" "Did you really take me flying?" asked Gemma, "can we do it again?" Is Merlin now privy to everything you do? Absolutely everything?" Eoric tried his best to answer all of the questions that were fired at him. He explained how Nimue had met her end and that there could be no doubt the witch was indeed gone. As to evidence, he wasn't sure whether Nimue had shared any information with Æthelfrith about her kidnapping of him. While he had been wearing a kilt, the Saxons would see many such so it was unlikely they would be able to guess who had killed the witch. He promised to try and take Gemma flying again, but explained he hadn't been able to repeat the feat since that first time. Gemma picked up on Sarah's mood and looked at her closely, taking in the concern and worry on her face. She glanced at Eoric and flicked her eyes towards the Saxon woman, alerting him to the fact that something was wrong. The King declared himself ready for bed as it had been a long day and Eoric's story had been so livid it had taken something out of them all. He kissed his daughter and Sarah goodnight and retired to the bedchamber Gemma pointed him to. Once Eochaid was safely out of the room, Eoric took Sarah's hand in his and put his other arm round Gemma's waist. He drew both of them outside to sit on the step. It was a clear night and chilly, but the panoply of stars was all the more impressive in the night sky. Eoric quietly began another story, this one the tale of how he had come to have absorbed four faeries and how that had changed him. Gemma knew all of this and she moved to sit on the other side of Sarah so that the Saxon woman was sandwiched between her and Eoric. Both of them put their arms round her and Eoric now tried to allay her fears. When Gemma had motioned to him inside the house he had connected with Sarah quickly and had read her concerns about the baby. "Sarah, I am still very much a man, human. I might have some strange abilities, but I still feel all of things other people feel, experience all the emotions that you do, make mistakes the same as the next man. I can tell that you're worried about our baby and whether it will be born as some kind of freak. The answer to that is I'm not sure. If it reflects the feelings and love that surrounded the act that conceived it, I cannot believe there will be anything bad about this child. Look at me," he urged her. When Sarah turned her head to look at him she could see the love shining in his eyes. "And look at me, I will be here for you too and for the baby," added Gemma, proud of the speech her husband had just made and not in the least bit jealous at the sentiment he had expressed. Sarah looked at Gemma in turn and could also see the princess's love for her written in her expression. Tears began to roll silently down her cheeks as she was overwhelmed with more love and caring than she had ever imagined possible. It was as if the years of torture and pain, misery and suffering were all now being rinsed away on a tide of pure love. Her concerns about the baby began to ease. Eoric's words had struck a chord, there had been nothing but love involved in the baby's conception and she hoped that was a good sign. "Can we stop referring to him as the 'baby' and the 'child'," said Eoric. The boy's name is Connal." Both the woman looked at him questioningly, their eyebrows raised. "I can feel the boy growing, there is no doubt he is a boy and perfectly healthy so far as I can tell," Eoric added. Sarah had heard so much about Eoric's abilities that night and had indeed witnessed some of them in Dalwhinnie, that she didn't question him about this latest statement for a moment. Eoric read the thought that appeared in her head that thanked him for putting her mind at rest with regard to the child - no, Connal - and he felt her pull herself closer to him. These moments together under the stars did more than anything else perhaps to cement the relationship between the three of them. All of Sarah's concerns about how Gemma would react, how she would treat her, vanished when she saw the look the princess had given her. For perhaps the first time in her life she felt as if she had found her place, was at home and where she belonged. ------- The next morning Eochaid was more businesslike, but it was clear his evaluation of Eoric had risen once again. He listened whenever the young man contributed to the conversation and clearly gave great weight in Eoric's words. He was in the process of setting out his plans for the autumn campaign against the Picts once the harvest had been safely gathered in. Eoric was impressed by the scale of what he intended. "I will lead one force and consolidate the gains we have already made in Atholl and Tayside. Donachd will arrive with a force from Antrim and he will lead that force further north to begin to press the savages back yet further. I have promised him his own lands in the north if he can win them from the Picts. My son Domnall will drive a combined force with King Beli of Strathclyde across into the lands in the northeast. I expect you to be able to give me your full strength in four weeks time, Eoric," Eochaid finished. "As to the men of Lorne, I will gladly see that they are ready for you Eochaid King, but I suggest another task for myself. I have already shown I'm not great in battle, but there is another iron I believe we should have in the fire," Eoric offered. Eochaid considered this for a moment. Eoric's ability to pinpoint the enemy had proven to be a major asset in the previous campaigning and he was loath to lose that advantage. He knew however, that the fighting in Atholl and Tayside was likely to be light after the way he had already ravaged it the month before. His respect for Eoric's views caused him to ask what this other 'iron in the fire' might be. "What is the nature of this other task you have in mind, my lord," the King asked. "I believe your plans for the Picts are bold and well made. There is still time this year to do them much damage and I am pleased that King Beli is joining his forces this time. That is a sure sign the Celts are moving in the right direction. But. But I say, I believe we are going to have to deal with the Saxons sooner or later. "I propose that I spend the autumn acting as an envoy to the other Celtic tribes to try and raise support for a truly united effort. I plan to visit Cadfan ap Iago, the King of Gwynedd, first to test out how he would view an alliance. "The Britons of Wales also face the threat of invasion from the Saxons, in Mercia, in Wessex and in the Kingdom of Elmet, which lies to the south of Bernicia. It may be that I can encourage the principalities of Wales to keep the Saxons busy while you deal with the Picts, Sire. Much could be gained and Æthelfrith weakened if our Welsh cousins play their part." Eochaid's eyes gleamed with excitement at the prospect of his own campaigning and Eoric's ideas sounded somewhat far-fetched to him compared to the reality of killing the Picts. What was the likelihood of these remote Celts uniting to take on the might of the Saxons? He firmly believed this notion of a Celtic alliance was a dream, a dream he had been luke-warm to when it had been suggested by his brother Arthur, and one he still felt to be a waste of time. "Better that you play the scout for our forces going north I think, Eoric. That's where your abilities would be put to best use, rather than playing these games with tribes who have nothing to gain by joining our struggles," said Eochaid. "Forgive me, but that is where you are wrong, Sire. This is their struggle. In time the Saxons will swallow us all up one by one. The Welsh will already be defending themselves I'll wager and now is the time to build on that. If we don't stand together we will surely fall separately," Eoric responded vigorously. "It is a folly Eoric, a waste of your time," Eochaid remained firm. "What about a compromise, Sire? What if I travel north and identify all the intelligence that your son Domnall and the Antrim men under Donachd need and then I travel south? There should be time to do both," Eoric tried once more. The King pondered this and could see no terrible downside to it. His forces would have the benefit of Eoric's abilities and then the young man could satisfy himself in chasing his dream. "Okay, Eoric. I will accept your proposal, but see you; Domnall and Donachd will expect you to perform your role effectively. I will not accept your mind being elsewhere when our men's lives are at stake," Eochaid said. "Of course, Sire. I have the interests of our men at heart too after all. I will do all that I can to make it easier for them, rest assured." ------- Eoric knew he had four weeks to get the Lorne harvest in and raise the men the King wanted. He also knew that there was another task he had to perform before he left Taynuilt to join the campaign and them make his journey south into Wales. He was determined that the love his princess had shown Sarah would be rewarded. The most important thing he could think of was to ensure that she too had a child growing within her by the time he had to leave. Hitherto, when he had made love to Gemma, he had focussed on making sure his fertility was turned off. Now he had it very much turned on and he looked to bed her at every opportunity. There had been a number of occasions when he sensed Sarah outside their bedchamber, he felt her need, was aware of her arousal as she responded to the noises that he and Gemma were making together. He had been trying to be attentive to Sarah too, but much of his focus was on making sure Gemma was happy, perhaps boosted by his residual guilt at betraying her in the first place. A week before he was due to march north, he had pulled Gemma into their bedchamber once more. They had reached a level of familiarity with each other that led to slow, gentle foreplay and his hands and tongue raised Gemma towards her woman's peak before he let his staff slide into her moist, juicy slit. She urged him to speed up and increase the force of his thrusts and he responded to her demands. "Ooohhhh, my love, yes! I feel you deep within me, harder, faster, Love me Eoric!" she cried. Once more Eoric felt Sarah move up close to the entrance to their bedchamber. His senses could feel how hot and wet she was already and when he connected with her he was stunned to read that she was on the verge of asking to join them. He continued to stroke into Gemma and wiggled a hand in between them to rub his thumb over her sensitive clit. "Oh fuck, yes! Yes, yes, aaaahhhhh, Eoric, so good, so good, yes!" Eoric felt Sarah slide past the drape that closed off their bedchamber and he saw her leaning back against the wall, her hands between her thighs as she watched him with his princess in the throes of their lovemaking. Gemma caught the movement out of the corner of her eye and she too looked across at the small Saxon woman. Something clicked inside her head and she smiled at Sarah, beckoning her across to the bed. Eoric was already connected with Gemma to make sure he was able to adjust what he did to make her feel the maximum enjoyment from their coupling. When he read her thoughts about making love to Sarah he almost lost his rhythm as he pistoned into her. Gemma motioned Sarah to straddle her face and the Saxon woman hesitated for only a moment before complying. She reached down and pulled her shift up and over her head, leaving herself naked. Eoric gazed on her firm little titties. They were just out of reach of his mouth and he projected a message for her to lean forward. Sarah was assaulted by the feel of Gemma's tongue on her already dripping sex and then felt an overwhelming compulsion to lean forward and offer her breasts to Eoric. "Ooohhhhh, it's beautiful, I never knew it could feel this good. Yes, yes, please do it to me!" she cried. Gemma's ability to vocalise her pleasure was gagged by the soft blond hair of the Saxon slit covering her mouth. She sucked up the copious juices, enjoying their musky taste as she thrilled to Eoric's shaft thrusting repeatedly into her. Gemma felt herself cresting and her screams were muffled by Sarah's sex. Her urgency added something to the pressure she was applying to Sarah's little nubbin and the combination of that and Eoric's tongue rasping over her sensitive nipples sent the Sarah over the top. "We hope you don't mind, but we have stopped your own completion on the basis that you will need to satisfy them both," said Eoric's inner voice. "My, I don't think I've ever been involved in anything this wild!" came Merlin's voice. Eoric bit back his urge to shout at these intrusions. He was comfortable with the essences inside him, but when they started to manifest themselves during sex he thought they had gone too far. However, the fact that he hadn't reached his own orgasm and could therefore play a full part when the girls changed positions softened his annoyance at the inner voices. He found himself on his back with Sarah above him sliding up and down on his cock. Gemma didn't hesitate to lower her own slit onto his mouth and once more he had cause to give thanks that he hadn't come in her. Instead, his tongue began to lap at her sex and lash her hard little clit. Sarah began to buck like a green young horse and he savoured the feel of her wrapped around his shaft. The small Saxon woman screamed as she achieved her climax and Eoric redoubled his efforts with his tongue to ensure Gemma did the same as he let himself go. In the aftermath of their frantic lovemaking, the three of them cuddled together and their feelings for each other bled from one to the other with Eoric's assistance. They were now complete and they somehow knew it. Nothing would come between them and Eoric had an extra smile when he felt the new life beginning to grow inside Gemma. ------- The threesome enjoyed each other for the next week, but the time for Eoric's departure was coming ever closer. The harvest and the weather delayed things a little, but all too soon for the girls it was time for him to leave. ------- It was an inauspicious start, with steady and heavy rain pouring from the heavens as the Celtic forces prepared to begin their campaign against the Picts. Eoric had kissed Gemma and Sarah and leapt onto his horse, waving over his shoulder as they moved towards the Pass of Brander. While everyone else was miserable due to the weather, Eoric was annoyingly upbeat, positively enjoying the refreshing rain and basking in his memories of the last week with Gemma and Sarah. Many in the host grumbled about how cheery he was, but soon it was clear that he was helping to lift them, as his mood and the their growing affection for him meant his pleasure rubbed off on them. Eoric knew that Donachd was making a landing by boat further up the western seaboard, past the Isle of Skye and up Loch Carron. His aim was to march his two thousand Antrim levies across country towards Inbhir Nis (modern day Inverness), but only after Domnall and King Beli had hopefully drawn some of the Picts southwards. The other force would be attacking Obar Dheathain (modern day Aberdeen) after a forced march across the Cairngorm Mountains. The Lord of Lorne had elected to remain with Eochaid for the first part of the campaign as he had promised himself that he was going to take care of some unfinished business in Dalwhinnie. After that he would hasten northeast to catch up with and assist Eochaid's son and the King of Strathclyde. With most of the troops on foot the going was slow, but Eoric was content to take his time and remain with his own troops as they marched. After two days of rain and drizzle the weather cleared up and he was presented with the picture he had imagined in his head some six or seven weeks before. The Dalriada force of some two thousand seven hundred was crossing the vast expanse of Raineach Moss (modern day Rannoch Moor) - fifty square miles of boggy moorland. The heather was in full bloom and the contrast between the miles upon miles of the purple flowers, the brown peat silted lochans and the white peaked mountains away in the distance was quite breathtaking. The Black Mount was the chief mountain and even its flanks were tinted purple up to a certain level and a rainbow completed the effect. The boggy conditions underfoot made the going difficult, but Eoric kept spirits high by leading the troops in the rousing rendition of many of the Dalriada battle songs. The scent of the heather was getting to him and suddenly he launched into a haunting refrain, a song as pure as the ice-cold crystal water of the mountain streams, a song of the Heather Pixies. All around him the men fell silent in appreciation at the clarity of his tone and pitch and the elemental nature of the song. King Eochaid had chosen his approach across Rannoch Moor not for the heart-stopping scenery, but for its very remoteness and therefore the chance that they might be able to catch the Picts by surprise. As his force passed between Loch Rannoch and Loch Tummel he planned to skirt the shoulder of Beinn A'Chuallaich and follow the River Garry eastwards across Atholl and down into Tayside. The Dalriada host made camp for the night, after six days on the march, on the banks of the River Garry and in the midst of the various forests of Atholl. Eoric knew the King's plans to swing east here and he sought him out to say his farewell, as his own road headed further north to Dalwhinnie and then northeast to catch up with Domnall and Beli. "I sense no great gathering of Picts in this area, Sire," Eoric said, "it would appear that the Picts of Atholl have learned a harsh lesson from your last visit." "Aye, but they'll be back if we don't occupy these lands and we'll just have the same job to do next year. We need more men, Eoric," the King replied. "I'm trying to do my bit, Sire," Eoric smiled, "I believe both your daughter and Sarah are both with child now." Eochaid smiled at this news, he liked the idea of becoming a grandfather. In the violent times they lived in that was a remarkable achievement for one in power. "I suppose you'll be leaving us here? How long before you are with Domnall Brec, my son?" "Two days at most, Eochaid. Fear you not, Sire, I will do my best to look after him for you," said Eoric. They clasped arms and Eoric slipped away to find Iain mac Finlay. He said his farewells to Iain and the Lorne lieutenants and then headed up Glen Garry for his date with Anarg. He passed the tip of Loch Ericht and entered Glen Trium just as the sun was setting behind the mountains to the west. He stopped for a moment to admire the golden halo each of the peaks had suddenly acquired, a crown almost, then broke into a run once more. Dalwhinnie had been perhaps eighteen miles from where Eochaid had camped and it took Eoric just over an hour to cover the rough ground, such was his desire now to look Anarg in the eye. By the looks of things nothing much had changed in the settlement. He was able to quickly identify Anarg eating and drinking with a crowd of other savage looking Pictish men around a fire and he paused to consider how best to deal with the man. "We have a suggestion, well actually, the Ghillie Dhu part of us has a suggestion. These Picts have always been a blight on the living forest and there is a natural justice element to what the Ghillie Dhu has in mind," said his inner voice. Eoric nodded his head to himself in the gathering darkness and began to draw up energy from his surroundings. This time, he connected with the trees in the many forests of Atholl for the majority of the power he needed and then he focussed his attention on Anarg. The man was sitting on a log with a bone of some description in his hand. His beard, hair and face gleamed with the fat and juices of whatever animal it was that he was consuming and a beaker of some form of alcohol sat between his feet. As Eoric stared at the Pict, two small tendrils emerged from the soil at his feet. Their growth was at first imperceptible as they curled gently around each of Anarg's calves. Once Eoric was sure the first growth had taken hold he ramped up the energy he was directing towards them and their growth increased exponentially. Anarg jumped to his feet as he felt thick wooden limbs begin to curl around his legs, getting thicker and stronger by the second as they secured his thighs. Those sitting beside him jumped away in surprise and fear as they saw what was happening and Anarg whipped out his knife to try and hack at the fast growing limbs. The knife was ineffectual and when the twisting branches had managed to pin his arms at his side they stopped growing upwards and instead thickened yet further. The other Picts gasped with horror as they saw a third tendril now emerge from the ground between Anarg's legs. This quickly turned into a sapling and continued to grow and thicken as it crept upwards. From the position he was being held in, Anarg couldn't see what was happening, but the looks on the faces of his friends told him it wasn't good. The crown of the fledgling tree disappeared under the short kilt Anarg was wearing and there was a groan from the crowd that had now gathered round him. More joined all the time, as they were attracted to this grizzly yet compulsive sight. Anarg felt something soft scrape over his ball sack as the leaves on the tip of the little tree slipped between his legs and searched out the brown pucker of his anus. "For fuck sake, somebody help me!" he screamed as he felt something begin to prod at his nether opening. The tree paused in its upward growth to allow it to thicken before once more prodding at Anarg. Its rough bark covered limb at last burst past the tight ring of his sphincter. "Aaaarrrgghhhhhhhh!" he screamed at the first entry. The Picts from the settlement looked on aghast at what was obviously happening, unable to help and unable to pull their eyes away from the macabre tableau. The tree now thickened again and resumed its upward journey, ripping a path through Anarg's insides. It passed through the bowel, through the intestines and into his stomach. "Aaaaaaaiiieeeeeee, aaaahhhhhhhgggghhhhhh!" the savage howled once more. Without pause the tree's girth increased, limbs burst out of his chest and through his spine and then it tore upwards through his oesophagus and windpipe before emerging from his mouth. Anarg's screams ended and the crowd were left to watch the tree continue to grow until it seemed the man's body would have to burst open to accommodate it. Eoric judged his moment to cut off the energy to the tree and it stopped its growth so that Anarg's body remained around its trunk. He smiled to himself, this death apparently giving him no difficulty whatsoever and the manner of it fitting he thought, for a serial rapist. He slipped off into the darkness and continued up Glen Truim in the direction of An Aghaidh Mhòr (modern day Aviemore). His route lay along the path of the River Spey, up Strath Spey and through the Cairngorm Mountains. With any luck he would find Eochaid's son, Domnall Brec and King Beli the next day. ------- Chapter 20 Eoric's journey up through Strath Spey kept him on level ground and avoided the high peaks of the Cairngorm Mountains. Once more he was surrounded by purple heather as he ran along the banks of the broad River Spey. Even in the height of summer the river was full and flowing strongly and he could sense the many tributaries that fed it running down from the surrounding mountains. As he reached the head of the strath he stopped and began peering into the water of the river looking for some fish to eat. The Spey was teaming with salmon he could feel. It didn't take him long to spot a large fish and he beckoned it to come to him. Eoric rested while he cooked the salmon, eating half of it in one go and plucking some large leaves from a nearby bush to wrap the remainder in. Then he was off once more at the run. His route now swung eastwards and he had to negotiate his way round a Pictish camp at the entrance to Strath Isla. He paused briefly to map out the nature of the settlement and to note the numbers of Picts who were based there. Strath Isla opened out into the much broader and flatter Strath Bogie and here he passed a further two settlements and mapped them out in his head. While he had never been in this part of the country, his senses could easily pick up the sea away to his east. It was pulling at him strongly and he felt the urge to be there and to immerse himself in the water. He sensed a larger settlement just north of Ceann Tòrr (modern day Kintore) and once more he gathered as much information about it as he could before continuing his journey. He had been running now with only one short break for twelve hours, five of those in darkness and had covered around one hundred and thirty miles. He had to strongly resist his urge to make for the sea when he became aware of a very large body of men to the south of him. The numbers involved here could only mean that he had found Domnall and King Beli and he veered southwards to head in their direction. He ran for a further ten miles with his camouflage helping him bypass the scouts and guards that the Celtic force had deployed. He paused just inside the treeline of a wood to focus on making himself visible to all and as the main host began to pass, he stepped out and greeted Domnall. "Well met, my Lord of Kintyre," he said. "Well met indeed, Lord of Lorne. How is my royal father?" replied Domnall. "He was well enough when I left him last evening by the River Garry. Atholl is quiet, with the Picts it seems scared to venture forth there. Eochaid King will have slim pickings. The same can't be said for you, Domnall. I have passed a number of Pictish camps on my way here and you will have your fill of fighting before this campaign is through," Eoric said. All around men shook their heads in amazement at the distance they knew he must have travelled if he had left the King where he said. Eoric nodded to King Beli of Strathclyde, a man who had recently been fighting against Dalriada. "Aye, we have already had a few minor skirmishes, but the Picts seem to be retreating before us. Those few we have captured and can understand confirm that the main base is at this Aberdeen. Come, Eoric, we will take a break and you can share with us what intelligence you have gathered," Domnall suggested. Domnall had explained that they had overrun a Pictish camp only a few miles back at a place the locals called Beannchar (modern day Banchory) and that was where they had captured some Picts and questioned them. Eoric shared all the information he had but advised that he had not yet scouted out this Aberdeen. It was agreed that that should be his next task. "We need to make sure we're not overmatched before we go much further," Domnall said. "Aye, we haven't seen many of the savages so far. They need to be somewhere and possibly they have banded together for their own safety," added Beli. Eoric took some time to soak up some additional energy from his surroundings and finished the last of his salmon. Then he was off alone to scout out Aberdeen. He ran directly east until he reached the coast and took a few minutes just to stare out at the sea from a high clifftop. Clouds had gathered and the colour of the water reflected the grey day. Still, he had a strong urge to be in the water. Without conscious thought, he stripped off his clothing and jumped from the cliff. Eoric was only slightly surprised when he didn't plummet downwards but instead descended in a graceful and controlled swoop. "Are you flying again?" asked Merlin from inside him. "Not this time, but I feel I could have if I wanted to. No, this is but a dive." He entered the water cleanly, with barely a splash and immediately began to swim northwards. The water was cold, but he was at home in it and he swam happily. Eoric could sense small numbers of humans on the land he was passing, but the presence of sheep and cows confirmed for him that these were herders. Half an hour later he sensed something altogether different and he rose to the surface for the first time to have a look. He could see a few miles of sandy beach before him and further inland, on higher ground a major settlement. Eoric extended his senses and began mapping the camp in his head. There was a substantial defensive earthenwork mound with a deep ditch and a berm going all the way round the settlement. The mound was manned with guards and Eoric estimated there were over four thousand people here. That was an unusual number of people to be gathered in one place and Eoric assumed that Domnall and King Beli had guessed correctly. The Picts from the surrounding camps and settlements seemed to have converged on this Aberdeen, believing there was safety in numbers. He was able to differentiate between the men, women and children in the settlement and he thought there were over two thousand men of fighting age. Having gathered as much intelligence as he could, Eoric swam back towards the point he had entered the sea. He emerged onto a narrow beach, dripping water and scanning the cliff to try and find a way up to the top. Climbing upwards proved easy enough and soon he was pulling on his clothes once more and setting out at a run to find the Celtic army. News of the numbers at Aberdeen was met with mixed emotions. On the one hand Domnall and Beli were pleased that they had seemingly caught up with the main Pictish force in the area, but on the other hand facing over two thousand meant the odds were pretty even. When Eoric described the strong defences around the settlement all agreed it would be folly to attack it. Heads were scratched as those involved in the discussions tried to think of a way to draw the Picts out from their strong defensive position. Eoric was anxious to help. He knew defeating the Picts at Aberdeen would open up all of the northeast to Domnall and the Celts and would speed up the point at which he himself would be able to begin his own mission. "I think I might have an answer," he suggested. Everyone looked at him and when he explained his idea there were looks of both astonishment and disbelief. "But that's impossible," said King Beli. "I believe I can do it," Eoric responded, "in any event, you have nothing to lose. All I'm asking is that you move your men close enough to Aberdeen to take advantage of the situation if it does work." "Eoric's right, moving forward makes sense and it will allow us to keep an eye on the Picts too," said Domnall. It was agreed that the army would move forward at first light so that they would be in position by mid morning. Eoric had suggested the timing, knowing how important it was to his plan. The next morning as the Celts advanced on Aberdeen, Eoric once more ran to the coast and dived from the cliff top into the sea. He swam until he was off of the beach that led up to the settlement of Aberdeen then surfaced to check on the progress of Domnall and King Beli. When he was satisfied that the Celts were in position on the high ground above the settlement, he dived under the water and swam downwards. Eoric allowed himself to settle so that he was standing upright on the seabed. He soaked up as much energy as his body could stand and then let his head fall back. He let out a roar that used up all of the energy at once; creating a powerful wave that angled diagonally upwards toward the surface and the beach. The wave caused a swell of over twenty feet and this now surged forward at over a hundred miles an hour towards the shore. As the seabed shelved, so the wave grew in height and intensity until it crashed ashore and the water swept over the landscape. Eoric had only been able to generate enough power for a localised tsunami, but it was still enough to inundate the Pictish camp and sweep away their houses, defences and many of their men. Widespread panic ensued as the Picts tried to escape the water and get to higher ground. Most of them tried to make for the northern side of the settlement, away from the Celts they could see waiting for them. Domnall and Beli led their men forward but had to detour round the lake of seawater that remained from the giant wave and as a result the Picts were already disappearing into the surrounding countryside before they could be brought to battle. Domnall had only forty or so mounted men at his disposal but he sent these forward now to try and run some of the Picts down. He conferred with Beli and they decided to split their force into five smaller bands of around four hundred each with orders to begin to sweep northwards and slaughter all the Picts they came across. "Women and children are to be spared," said Domnall, "we Celts need to begin to expand and these can be the first contribution to that." By the time Eoric rejoined Eochaid's son, the troops had been split and had dispersed. "Eoric, remind me not to make you angry my friend. I wouldn't have believed it possible if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes," he said. Eoric shrugged off the praise and confirmed that Domnall had no further use for him. It was clear that it might take weeks of traipsing over the northeast countryside, but Eoric's devastation of Aberdeen had broken the back of any attempt at concerted resistance from the Picts. ------- Donachd and his force of Antrim men had landed at the head of Loch Carron and marched up Glen Carron in a northeasterly direction. Through Strath Bran and round Loch Luichart they went, then they turned southeast and marched past Loch Garve. After five days of marching across rough and hilly country, Donachd halted his men on the shores of the Moray Firth, waiting for Eoric to put in an appearance. He sent out scouts to begin to gather some intelligence and to make sure he himself wasn't ambushed, then allowed the majority of his men to relax and rest after their long march. ------- Eoric quickly retraced his steps to the head of Strathspey and followed the river south until he reached Aviemore once again. When he had been passing the smaller Pict settlements he had sensed that they were abandoned and he wondered where all of the people had gone. Although none of them was significant in numbers, combined they could represent a force of four or five hundred and that could be significant. He now had a dilemma. Should he return to warn Domnall that there could be a large force of Picts around, or should he carry on to try and meet up with Donachd? In the end he decided that Domnall had more than enough troops to deal with the Picts and he began the final leg of his journey. He had another twenty-five to thirty miles to go to reach Inverness. There was one pleasant incident on this part of his trek, when he was skirting the foot of the vast Drummossie Moor. He was singing to himself as he ran, the haunting heather pixie tune once more, when he sensed a presence. Minutes later he saw a winged creature heading in his direction and it turned out to be a beautiful little heather pixie, its translucent wings beating rapidly to keep her in the air. The faery explained that she had been attracted by his song and that as a reward for his praise she just had to bring him some of her heather honey. She produced a honeycomb that was thick and dripping with golden honey. When Eoric tasted it he detected the fragrant scent of the heather and a slight tang to the sweet confection. He thanked the pixie for her thoughtfulness and waved as he started to run once more. An hour or so later, Eoric forded the River Ness and paused on its west bank. He could tell that Inverness was another substantial settlement, not quite as large as the one at Aberdeen, but there were upwards of twelve hundred men of fighting age here. He was able to determine that work had begun on defences, but only recently and the camp was still largely unprotected. It didn't take him long thereafter to find Donachd and he shared what he knew of Inverness with him. Donachd immediately ordered his troops to marshal up and they made the short march to the Pictish settlement in less than two hours. The camp was based round a large hill that sat virtually on what constituted an island in the middle of the River Ness. Unfortunately, the river made it difficult for Donachd to attack and he decided to keep his main force hidden, sending forward three hundred or so to try and draw the Picts out into battle. The Celts were spotted quite quickly and it wasn't long before a stream of men emerged from the camp to run down the hill and ford the river to challenge them. The Picts were armed with a range of weapons, swords, spears, some even with crude clubs. Eoric estimated around eight hundred were now charging towards Donachd's three hundred and the Antrim chieftain now committed the remainder of his own force. A charge of this nature is an awesome sight. Two groups of screaming men running towards each other at full speed, their clothing largely discarded so their arms were free to fight. Blades and spear-tips glinted and the noise of the charge was guaranteed to raise the hairs on the back of the neck. Eoric was sure he felt the ground shudder and the hills echoing with the noise when the groups clashed. Everywhere blades thudded into wooden shields or flesh and clan slogans and war cries were repeated over and over. He himself had remained out of the fight, but he felt every blow and shivered at every death. At first the fight appeared relatively even with the Picts giving as good as they got. Men fell on both sides and there was stalemate as men stood face to face with their enemies and traded blows. With the advantage in numbers it was inevitable that the Antrim force could not all engage at first and the rear ranks had to be content with shouting vocal support for their friends in front. As time wore on and those on both sides grew weary from the deadly struggle, the heavier numbers began to assert themselves. Fresh men from the rear pressed forward to replace their tired comrades and the weakening Picts began to give ground ever so slowly. Eoric could see the pattern of the battle take shape and he knew with certainty that Donachd would win the day. To give them credit the Picts continued to strive manfully, but the fresh opponents began to force them back quicker and quicker until they felt themselves retreating into the very water of the River Ness. The retreat started with just one or two Picts breaking off and making a run for it - it's hard to simply stop fighting and run when you're defending yourself against a man with a sword. The Antrim men stopped momentarily when they reached the rivers edge and that gave the Picts the opportunity to turn almost en masse and make a break for it. Donachd led his men screaming over the ford and up the hill into the settlement to secure the victory. Eoric was already on the battlefield trying to tend to the wounded. Some of the Celts tried to stop him from treating a wounded Pict and Eoric turned on them, telling them to leave him to his task. The look on his face and the power in his voice convinced the troops not to interfere any further. When Donachd came looking for him several hours later he was still weaving his way amongst the fallen trying to offer what help he could. "Enough, Eoric! You have done enough man, come and have some of the fine Pictish beef we have roasting," cried the Antrim chieftain. "There are still many wounded that can be saved, my Lord. I need to keep working and in any event, I don't eat meat," he replied. "Be not so sour man, we have struck a major blow against the savages, achieved a great victory. Come and celebrate with us and we will show you how the Antrim Celts savour the Usuige Beatha." "Another time perhaps, my Lord. I need to finish tending the wounded and then I fear I must hurry south once more to warn Eochaid that there are more Picts abroad than either he or Domnall know of," replied Eoric, as he turned to his task once more. ------- Gemma and Sarah were getting to know each other better, much better. They were naked on the bed. Sarah had her head between Gemma's thighs, lovingly licking the princess's sex. She let her tongue glide through the younger girl's swollen lips, gathering up the tangy juices and teasing her by avoiding her sensitive little pleasure button for as long as possible. Gemma had her fingers in the Saxon woman's fine cornstalk hair and she was constantly trying to urge her tongue upward to gain the relief that she so urgently wanted. "No more, please Sarah, no more teasing. Please, I need it, need it now!" groaned Gemma. Sarah ignored her pleas and let her tongue press forward into her opening, thickening her tongue so it acted like a small cock. She continued to poke at Gemma's tight hole and let the fingers of one hand curve round the princess's rear to tickle her little pucker gently. "Sarah, please, ah, ah, please," Gemma continued to groan. The Saxon woman at last took pity and let her tongue stroke the length of Gemma's slit and circle her hard clit. "Yeeessssss, oh yes, yes!" responded Gemma. Sarah continued to attack the sensitive nub, grazing it with her teeth and pulling it between her lips. She let the middle finger of one hand slip inside the princess and the middle finger of the other press more urgently against her rear, until it popped through the tight muscle. "Aaaahhhhhhhhhh, aahhhhhhhhhhh!" was all that Gemma could manage to get out as she felt her climax slam into her. Sarah felt Gemma's hands pushing her face away from her now oversensitive clitoris and she heard the girl panting as she tried to catch her breath. Sarah pulled herself up the bed to hug the girl and kiss her softly. Gemma stared into her eyes. "Your turn now, my love," she whispered. She kissed Sarah, letting her lips slip along her jaw and down her sensitive throat. The kisses continued along Sarah's collarbone then dipped to worship her small left breast. Gemma's mouth latched onto the now hard nipple and she caressed it with her tongue, licking it, nipping it with her teeth. Sarah was already aroused from how Gemma had reacted to her own efforts and she was now flushed with need. Gemma spent a long time alternating between her breasts before letting her lips and tongue trace down towards her navel and lower to kiss both of her prominent hip bones. Sarah didn't know it yet, but Gemma had prepared for this encounter beforehand. The fact that Sarah had teased her for so long convinced her to follow through on what she had so far only considered. As her mouth moved lower to Sarah's sex, she let her hand drop to the side of the bed to recover what she had placed there earlier. She distracted Sarah by lapping at her sex and licking her clit as she drew the object up onto the bed beside her. "Uuuuhhhhhhh, Gemma, more, more my love," moaned Sarah. Gemma slid a lamb's leg bone up towards the Saxon woman's sex. It was smooth and well worn. She had saved it as she had been taken with its shape and size. She had boiled it and boiled it until it was devoid of all other matter, clean and sterile. Now she was about to use it for the purpose she had envisaged for it, as a substitute phallus. Sarah was thrashing around under the ministrations of Gemma's tongue. Gemma stealthily brought the smooth bone up and detached her mouth from Sarah so she could lubricate the bone. It was only one and a half inches thick, but it had a knuckle on the end, which had attracted Gemma's attention and it was perhaps three inches across. Having covered the bone with her saliva, Gemma now thrust it forward and jammed it up against Sarah's entrance. Sarah's free flowing juices mingled with the saliva on the bone to help it slide home. "Aaaaaaaaahhhhh!" yelped Sarah as the bone thrust into her. Gemma set up a slow rhythm, trying to recreate the rhythm Eoric created with his staff and she was delighted when Sarah began to respond. "Yes, yes princess, do it to me, fuck me, uh, uh, yeeesssssssssss!" moaned Sarah. As Sarah began to respond with more and more vigour, Gemma failed to notice Eoric slip into the room behind her. He slipped out of his clothes and sneaked up on Gemma. The princess was smiling smugly at her little surprise and at getting her own back on Sarah for her teasing. The smug smile disappeared, as she in turn was surprised by Eoric's hard staff thrusting into her still slick passage. "Aaahhhhhhh!" she shrieked. Sarah opened her eyes to see what had caused Gemma's shriek and grinned as she saw Eoric thrusting mightily into her. Gemma recovered quickly and thrust her little bottom back eagerly to gain the maximum penetration from her husband. She also increased the speed of her thrusts with the bone into Sarah. The erotic nature of the tryst boosted the arousal of all three and it wasn't long before they were sharing their climaxes and then snuggling together in the afterglow on the bed. "Mmmmmm, welcome home husband. That was a welcome surprise," moaned Gemma. "Mmmmmm, welcome home father of my child, just in time to save me from the ravages of this wildcat," added Sarah with a smile. ------- Chapter 21 There was a fine drizzle of rain falling as the boat set out from Crinan. Eoric decided then and there that he would have boats built for his own use in Lorne and he would establish a port closer to home. Despite the weather, Gemma and Sarah were in high spirits at what they saw as a great adventure. Eoric's men had to row, as the wind was not entirely favourable so the going was steady rather than fast. The girls were chattering away, commenting on the scenic view as they passed along the Knapdale coast with the Isle of Jura on their right. Then it was past Kintyre and Islay as they continued southwards. The boat pulled in at the foot of Kintyre so they could rest for the first night and Eoric quickly supplied enough fish for all of them to have a hearty meal. He spent a comfortable night with a warm woman on either side of him and when he awoke the next morning it was to find the sun was up and there was a southwesterly breeze. A quick start was made to take advantage of the wind and soon the boat's large square sail was billowing and they were speeding along. They passed the long thin Rhinns and soon could see the Isle of Man low in the water before them. Eoric had been battling his urge to strip off and take to the water, but by midday he could hold off no longer. The girls squealed and the men hooted as he stripped off and leapt from the boat. His speed in the water and ability to stay under for long periods amazed all of them. When he raced past the boat and then came leaping out of the water like a dolphin the boat's occupants could only shake their heads in wonder. Eoric stayed in the water for another hour or so, catching fish and throwing them into the boat. At last he had satisfied the urges he had been feeling and he hauled himself back aboard, drying off and pulling his clothes on before accepting hugs from Sarah and Gemma. They slept on the boat on the second night, the Isle of Man now much closer and as a result larger. Eoric had been told that elements of the Ui Neill controlled the island and he had told his captain to give it a wide berth. The men must have taken turns in piloting the boat through the night because when Eoric awoke he could see that they were now past Man and already it was growing smaller behind them. Their trip had been uneventful - apart from Eoric's periods of being in the water - and by the fourth day out from Crinan the captain informed Eoric that the land they could just make out was in fact Wales. This was the Kingdom of Gwynedd where Eoric was hoping to find King Iago and persuade him to take up arms against the Saxons. Eoric could sense a fairly large settlement some miles further along the coastline and he urged his captain to keep the boat parallel to the shore until they could finally make out the camp. As the boat ran ashore onto a sandy beach an armed group came out from the settlement to find out who they were and what their business was. The Gaelic of the men was somewhat strange, but at least understandable. When Eoric answered them in his own Gaelic they looked on him curiously. He explained who he was and that he had travelled to Gwynedd to speak to King Iago. "King Iago is dead, my lord," one of the Welshmen told him, "his son, Cadfan, is now King here in Gwynedd. Iago died fighting the Saxons last year." Eoric was at once both disappointed and pleased. He was disappointed that King Iago was dead, but pleased that the Welsh Britons seemed to have already taken up arms and were fighting the Saxons without any urging from him being required. The men of Gwynedd welcomed the boat's occupants ashore and told them that the settlement was called Llandudno. "You are welcome to stay here until King Cadfan returns from his hunting trip, my lord," offered a man who seemed to be a minor chief of sorts. Eoric accepted the man's offer of hospitality and they were escorted up to the camp. They took in the strong fortifications that surrounded the houses - a stout palisade of trimmed tree trunks - as they were shown into a large hall. Meat and drink were offered and fish was found for Eoric when he expressed a preference for that. The Welshmen were friendly and Eoric took the opportunity of trying to learn more about the politics of the region and the battles that had already been fought. He found that the man he was talking to was called Huwyl and he pumped him for information. He had already looked inside the man's head and read his thoughts and memories, but he thought the story would make interesting hearing for Sarah, Gemma and his men. "Huwyl, tell us of these battles with the Saxons," he started. Huwyl explained that a mighty battle had taken place at Caer-Legion (modern day Chester) the previous summer. All of the Welsh kingdoms had joined forces to take on Æthelfrith - Gwynedd, Powys, Pengwern and even Dumnonia had contributed warriors to the army. King Iago and King Selyf of Powys were both killed in the battle, but the Saxons were kept at bay at least. "Æthelfrith vented his spleen some weeks after the battle at Chester when he attacked again. King Bledric of Dumnonia was killed in a second battle at Bangor-is-Coed and the Saxons slaughtered over a thousand monks. That is how Iago's son, Cadfan, came to be King of Gwynedd," said Huwyl. Eoric's questions identified other useful information. The reason Æthelfrith had attacked the Welsh Britons seemed to have been of Iago's own making. Huwyl told them that Iago had given shelter to the boy king of Deira, Edwin and that had angered Æthelfrith. The kingdom of Deira bordered Æthelfrith's own Bernicia and he had attacked his neighbours, uniting his own kingdom with Deira to form what he was now calling Northumbria. Edwin was approaching maturity and it seemed that Æthelfrith wanted to remove him as a threat to his kingdom once and for all. That had been the motivation for the Saxon attack on Gwynedd. Eoric learned that the young King Edwin had escaped after the battles and he was believed now to be under the protection of the Saxon king, Redwald, in East Anglia "Cadfan is not like his father," Huwyl told them, "he is wiser and has already made alliances with Pybba and Penda of Mercia in the north and Cynegelis of Wessex in the south. We have known a peace of sorts for the past year and we are the more content for it." This wasn't the news that Eoric was hoping to hear. The Welsh seemed to be making peace with the Saxons rather than fighting them, that wouldn't help Dalriada at all. As Huwyl shared more information with them - the fact that Cynegelis had conquered and now ruled all of the lands to the south, including the former Celtic lands in Cornwall and Dumnonia - Eoric began to see that King Eochaid was right, there was no hope of uniting the Celts against the Saxons. "I fear you are right, my friend. Dalriada will needs must face the Saxons alone," came Merlin's voice inside Eoric's head. "Perhaps we can still weaken Æthelfrith. If this King Redwald is now protecting his enemy Edwin, might there not be some opportunity to encourage Redwald to take up arms against Northumbria? Surely he must have a reason for sheltering Edwin? Perhaps he has his own designs on Deira and Bernicia?" "You think quickly and clearly, Eoric. There might be some truth in this. Anything that keeps Æthelfrith's attention looking south rather than north would be a good thing," Merlin responded. Eoric and his party were shown to guest accommodation and it was much later when a messenger arrived to inform him that King Cadfan had returned from hunting and now wished to meet and greet his Dalriadan visitor. Eoric thought he had to at least make an attempt at introducing the idea of Celtic unity and he did so when he was shown into Cadfan's presence. "Sire, my thanks for your kind hospitality," Eoric began. "It is nothing. It's not often that we receive visitors from so far north and I'll warrant there must be a good reason for you to have made the long journey?" Cadfan said. Eoric could see that Cadfan was indeed as intelligent as Huwyl had suggested. This King of Gwynedd was sharp and obviously keen to know what Eoric was about, what his mission was. "Sire, I come with the same mission that King Arthur had. It is clear to us in the north that all of the Celtic tribes and clans are threatened by the growing might of the Saxons. Already Celtic kingdoms are falling to them. I hope that you will ally yourself with King Eochaid of Dalriada against the Saxons," Eoric said. Cadfan looked at him sharply now, his concern for his own kingdom clearly evident. "I'm afraid that is out of the question. I have sued for peace with my neighbours and my people are thriving as a result. I can't do anything that would jeopardise that. No, my friend, such an approach cannot be my policy!" he said firmly. Eoric tried to argue his case for a little while longer, but Cadfan would not change his position and it soon became apparent that his patience with his 'pushy' visitor was wearing thin. Eoric accepted the reality of the situation and asked the King's permission to retire. He walked back into the guest accommodation and all eyes were on him. That quickly, within hours of landing in Gwynedd, Eoric's plan had fallen apart and his objectives had completely changed. His companions could see the look of disappointment on his face and Gemma and Sarah came forward to hug him, as if to lend him their strength. ------- Eochaid sat beside a camp fire, his son Domnall and King Beli close by. He was in deep thought and his face carried a look of consternation. Eoric had alerted him to the presence of several bands of Picts in the north, as he headed south. He had marched his own force to meet up with that of Domnall in an attempt to strike a significant blow against the Picts in the northeast, but they had spent a fruitless ten days chasing shadows. Donachd had sent word that he had been more successful at Inverness, but even that news had been tempered by the fact that there had been an uprising in Ireland. Donachd advised that he needed to take his force back to Antrim to deal with that, meaning that any gain in Inverness would not be consolidated. The Picts had adopted a nomadic existence and refused to be lured into any major confrontation. Eochaid knew that as soon as his warriors returned to Dalriada to sit out the winter, the Picts would be back at their old camps and no doubt increasing their defences so they were stronger for the next year. Undoubtedly the Picts had lost many men, most of them during his own campaign before the harvest. There were still many thousands of them however, and Eochaid knew they were a long way from being a beaten force. The fact that he had so many men available but couldn't force a reckoning with the savages was frustrating in the extreme. "Enough! I've had enough of this wandering all over the country chasing these will-o-the-wisps! Let us head back to our own beds and lay our plans for striking a bigger blow in the spring," he said at last. Domnall and Belie had been growing just as frustrated as he was and they nodded their heads in agreement at this course of action. ------- Eoric had decided he had to make at least an attempt to speak to King Redwald to explore whether there was any possibility in him making war on Æthelfrith. He was advised the distance to Redwald's court at Rendlesham was over one hundred and fifty miles and that made him decide to make the journey alone. Running fast he could make a trip of that length in just over ten hours. If the girls and his men went with him it might take nine or ten days. Gemma and Sarah weren't happy when he told them of his decision, but understood his desire for speed and the unlikely nature of his quest. He set out at once and followed the sketchy directions he had been given. He had to reveal himself twice on the journey to ask for further directions and he chose his moments carefully to minimise the danger. His estimate of the time it would take was out by two hours, mostly because he had had to hang around waiting to catch a herder on his own to seek directions. He had been surprised at the numbers of Saxons he could sense as he ran, the scale of the threat to his own way of life becoming ever more clear. At last he approached Rendlesham. The description of King's 'court' was perhaps an exaggeration he thought when he looked upon the town. It was certainly larger than anything he had come across previously, but there was nothing fine about the sprawling stone built houses. When he made himself visible and approached the guards at the gate to the town he was escorted to the largest dwelling of all. This was somewhat more impressive than everything else surrounding it, with stone walls, courtyards and a number of accommodation blocks built together. Eoric was shown into some kind of waiting area. He was left to his own devices for over an hour before someone came to speak to him. The Saxon called himself the 'chamberlain' and it was clear he was only interested in how he could get rid of Eoric quickly and with the minimum of fuss. "I am the Lord of Lorne and I wish an audience with King Redwald," he insisted. The chamberlain looked at his scruffy appearance and gave all the signs of disbelief that Eoric could possibly be a lord. "What business would the likes of you have with the king?" the man asked haughtily. Eoric tried to ignore his offensive tone, recognising that antagonising the man would only make matters worse. "I have matters of sufficient importance to discuss, concerning Æthelfrith of Northumbria, but not with you, sir. Please alert the king to my presence," Eoric said. "What are these important matters? I can't simply allow any passing stranger access to the king," the chamberlain replied. Eoric refused to discuss things further with the man and it became something of an impasse. The chamberlain left him, but re-appeared to ask the same questions three or four hours later. It became clear that he was hoping Eoric would give up and simply leave. That was underlined when no food or drink was forthcoming and the man stamped about angrily as Eoric made it obvious that he had no intention of leaving. He slept the night away in the waiting room and when the chamberlain returned the next morning and found Eoric still waiting he was very upset. At last, around mid morning, the chamberlain returned once more with a well-dressed woman behind him. He announced that here was the Queen of East Anglia and that Eoric would need to tell her what his business was if he ever hoped to gain an audience with King Redwald. Eoric quickly connected with the Queen and read what was inside her head. He learned that she had significant influence with the king, but also that it didn't matter what he said, he wouldn't be allowed to meet with Redwald. His frustration overcame him. The Queen's thoughts told him that the boy king, Edwin, was being used as a threat against Æthelfrith. He reached out to the Queen's mind and deliberately made a slight alteration there. After further fruitless requests to see Redwald he made a more significant change in the chamberlain's mind and then decided he had done all that he could. Eoric left the court and the town and started back to Llandudno. The journey back was quicker, as Eoric knew the route and he wasted no time in taking his leave of King Cadfan and embarking all of his party back onto their boat for the voyage back to Dalriada. Five days later the party were at Dunadd and Eochaid was sharing his tale of frustration over the campaign against the Picts. Eoric shared his news regarding the position in the south and Eochaid gave him a pitying look that said 'I told you so'. It was clear that both would have a lot to think about during the long winter nights. Eoric had already decided he needed to engage in a project of some sort to take his mind off of the depressing situation. ------- Eoric's choice for his project was influenced by his trip south. He had been impressed by the fortifications he had witnessed at both Llandudno in Wales and at Redwald's court at Rendlesham. The expanse of Redwald's accommodation had also appealed to him. Now he was organising men and materials to build something similar for himself at Taynuilt. He had chosen a site a few miles away from where the current houses were built for a number of reasons. The site was actually on the slopes of the impressive peak, Ben Cruachan and he just loved the feeling he got when he sensed the mountain's deep roots and the living rock. Situating his village on higher ground would add to its defences and also allow him to try something else that had occurred to him. The height and expanse of Ben Cruachan meant that its slopes were littered with loose stone, which would be ideal for building and it was also cut with many small streams that channelled rainwater and melting snow down into Loch Etive. Eoric planned to turn these streams to his advantage also. Before any of the men who had volunteered for the building were allowed on the site, Eoric himself carried out some initial work. He spent almost a week soaking up energy and using it to blast a tunnel through the rock from the site all the way down to the loch. The tunnel was perhaps two feet in diameter and had a consistent gradient of 1:6 sloping downward. The tunnel walls were smooth and slick. Next he marked out the boundary for the village and the outline for all of the houses he wanted built with stones. He made sure that each of the planned houses had one of the natural streams flowing by it and then blasted smaller tunnels from each house site down to connect with the main tunnel that ran down to the loch. Within two weeks he had water flowing through every house site and connected to the main tunnel and the loch. Eoric also marked out another site in the very centre of the village. Here he soaked up more energy and created a basin about four feet deep and sixteen feet wide. He blasted the rock out from under the basin and created a passage here. Finally he blasted a tunnel through the side of the basin and connected it to the main tunnel that led down to the loch once more. He carefully and delicately cut two grooves into the rock at the lip of this tunnel and fashioned a stone slab that could be raised and lowered into the lip to open and close the basin's tunnel. After working hard for two weeks he brought Gemma and Sarah to the site. They were impressed by the intended scale of the village and oohed and ahhed as Eoric pointed out the various features. When he explained how each of the houses would have running water and how his work in making the tunnels would allow an inside toilet in every house they looked at him in amazement. He told them how the running water would carry the human waste down into the sea loch where nature would break the waste down effectively. The girls were excited about the scale of what Eoric had planned for their own house, but squealed out loud when he showed them his final surprise. Eoric explained how the basin would be heated by fires in the passage underneath it and water would be allowed to flow into the basin to heat up. The stone slab would allow the village to drain the water away when they were finished with it. In effect he had created a wash house where people could bathe or clean clothes in hot water. The drain would also allow them to add cold water to regulate the temperature. The girls had never heard of anything like this and they positively beamed at Eoric for being so imaginative. Like women throughout the ages they were now impatient to have the building work completed so they could take advantage of the features that Eoric had designed. They urged him to start the Taynuilt men on the building immediately and even suggested he double the numbers by drafting in men from farther afield. Eoric laughed and told them it would take many months before anything was ready. "You will need to control yourselves, my loves. The first houses to go up will be for those doing the building, I think that's only fair. It will provide them with shelter and comfort when the weather is bad and it will mean they don't have to travel to and from the site," he said. "But when will we have our new house? When can we move in?" Sarah and Gemma whined. "Well, the next priority after the builders houses has to be the walls to protect the village," he said. "Eoric! That will take forever, we'll have to wait a year before we have our new home!" complained Gemma. "I jest, Gemma, tease. Our house will go up before we start on the walls, I promise," laughed Eoric. Both the girls fell on him and punched him on the shoulders and back for teasing them so. Eoric had forty-two volunteers to help with the building. Each of these men would benefit by having one of the houses in the new village once they were complete. Some were father and son so that the total number of houses to be built apart from Eoric's own was thirty-four. He split the men up into teams of seven, so six houses were started at one time. Eoric had taken the time to blast each of the house sites a level base into the rock of the mountainside. This had the added benefit of creating part of the structure so that only half of the side-walls and the wall facing towards the loch would need to be built up. The rear wall would be entirely living rock. All of Eoric's work in blasting out tunnels and foundations had left plenty of additional stone to add to that which was lying around so there was no shortage of building materials. The womenfolk were drafted in to mix clay to help bind the stonework together. When Gemma and Sarah explained about the inside toilets and the bath/washhouse Eoric was suddenly receiving hugs from all of the other women, much to the amusement of the Taynuilt men. Building work went on apace, only halting when the rain was so severe it was washing the clay away before the stonework could set. Eoric had channelled a stream to supply the basin, creating an overflow too to help regulate the water levels. A fire was lit under the basin and trial and error helped identify how much heat should be supplied to get the water to a comfortable temperature. The new villagers took it in turns on alternative days to use the bath - men one day and women the next. The feature was unanimously voted a major success. Eoric decided that he would make an adaptation to the plans for his own house so that it included a similar but smaller feature in the small courtyard he had designed. Sarah and Gemma thought this was a wonderful idea, their very own bath! As the months passed and the buildings took shape, one small problem emerged. Eoric had underestimated the amount of water that would flow down the streams when the weather deteriorated later in the year. Mighty Cruachan soaked up a considerable amount of rain and the streams became swollen and fast running. He had to make some adjustments to the courses of the streams to divert some of the volume and also widen the tunnels from each house down into the main 'sewer'. By the end of the second month, twenty-four of the houses had been completed and six more were in progress. The fact that the living rock formed part of each dwelling had reduced the building work considerably. The womenfolk were now employed to thatch each of the structures and this was slowed down by Eoric's insistence they use only dead wood to create the frame for the thatch. Although this meant searching further afield for suitable wood, no one complained, as they were beginning to accept their Lord's reverence for all living things (other than fish!). There was a final concerted effort to finish the building before the first of the snows arrived. As the men laid the stone, the women were hauling tons and tons of wood to create a giant stockpile that would last them through the winter months. Each of the houses had a fireplace built-in and the doorways had all been set in the south facing walls to avoid the prevailing winds. Eoric had let the men carry on building their own houses while he himself had been working on his much more substantial home. The girls impatience was growing as they saw other houses being completed while progress on theirs seemed slow. Eoric had never been so henpecked. In a retaliatory move he stopped working on the house altogether. Instead he joined one of the teams working on the small church that he had planned near where the gates to the village would be. When the girls quickly apologised, he left the men to continue working on the church and returned to building his own house. Quickly thereafter more of the teams became available, as they finished the houses they were working on. Eoric soon had three teams working on his house and two working on a forge and a grain store respectively. The womenfolk were now using wagons to ferry possessions and the precious grain from the site of the old village and the children were herding the village's livestock onto the grassland that ran alongside the loch. The fact that Loch Etive was a sea loch would help ensure the pasture would miss the worst of the snow and that was something of a bonus. In the event the snows arrived before Eoric's extensive house was completed. Fortunately it was only a slight dusting and building could continue. The girls were becoming more anxious by the day, with visions of having to wait until the spring before their house was ready. The building consisted of a central square, with a spur that went further back into the rock on each side. The spurs stuck out to create an 'H' shape and a wall was built between them to form a small courtyard. Because of the slope of the mountainside, the front part of each spur and the courtyard were built on a level that Eoric had blasted into the rock eight feet below the back part of the structure. In effect the house was on two levels and there were steps cut into the rock from the courtyard up to the main square area and inside each of the spurs. The courtyard contained the smaller bath area that Eoric had created and he also ferried barrow after barrow of soil to create a courtyard garden around the bath. He knew that planting would need to wait until the following spring, but he wanted the soil to have the winter frost acting on it to help break it down. At last the roof and thatch were completed and the girls could move what few possessions they had into the house. Eoric had problems with killing animals, but he had no reservations about using the hides, skins or furs of animals that had died of natural causes. For some months now he had been keeping his senses alert for any such deaths and as a result he had accumulated a significant store of materials he could now use to cover the stone floors throughout the house. All three of them were happy with the finished structure and when their possessions were in place it began to feel like home. They walked outside and down the hillside so they could look back at the entire village. It really was impressive to see all of the buildings jutting out from the rock. Surely there could be no other village similar to this. It would be all but impregnable when the walls were erected. Eoric also planned to position a smaller camp further up Cruachan to ensure the village couldn't be attacked from above. It had been three months of back-breaking work to achieve all that they had and Eoric now threw the doors open to the central square part of his house and put on a feast for everyone in celebration. As if they had developed some kind of sixth sense, four monks appeared during the feast and tucked into the available food and drink. Eoric had sent a message to Iona requesting these brethren be allowed to come and run the church they had built. He had particularly noticed how important Christianity was to the Saxons. Even in his short time in the south he had heard of many of the Kings converting from Paganism to Christianity. Bishops seemed to be arriving from mainland Europe to try and achieve these conversions, particularly France. Eoric wondered whether there might be an opportunity here for the Columban church to exert some influence on the Saxons, to Dalriada's benefit. He fully intended to explore that possibility with these newly arrived monks over the winter months. ------- Chapter 22 Gemma and Sarah had noticed that Eoric seemed to periodically wander off and sit staring off into space. They began to worry that something was bothering him, that perhaps he was somehow unhappy with one or both of them. The girls agreed to simply ask him what was on his mind. The next time Eoric wandered out into the courtyard they followed him and when he sat on the steps from the house down to the courtyard, they moved in front of him and asked their question. "Eoric, what is wrong? Why are you shutting yourself away from us?" they asked. The girls were surprised when Eoric's face blushed a bright red and he stammered when he responded. "Errr, I'm not shutting myself away from you and nothing is wrong. I've just got some things to work out," he replied. The girls could tell there was more going on than Eoric was telling them and they pressed him for an answer. Haltingly Eoric explained that he had used his abilities to slightly alter the minds of the East Anglian Queen and King Redwald's chamberlain. He was checking their memories periodically to catch up on any information that might be important to Dalriada. Once he had explained what he was up to, Eoric looked at the girls to gauge their reaction. He knew tinkering with someone else's mind was a very serious thing and he was still somewhat guilty about having already changed one of Gemma's memories slightly. He was relieved when they made it clear they saw nothing wrong with this remote spying. The girls took the view it was better if their man could gather information while he stayed at home rather than have him away from them once more. ------- The winter months passed slowly, with the snow shutting everything down for most people. Eoric was still able to move around however, and he could even survive comfortably in the freezing waters of Loch Etive. The village reaped the benefits in the form of the constant supplies of fresh fish he provided and that helped to supplement their diet. Eoric continued to have a recurring dream that showed the young man winning in battle and claiming the land for the Scots. He had been trying to figure out what the dream meant and who this figure could be. It was while he was talking to the monks about the possibility of them undertaking missionary work in the south, that he identified a clue. One of the monks had used the word Scoti to describe Donachd and the men from Antrim. "My friend, why do you call Donachd's men the Scoti?" he asked immediately, his interest clear. "Because that is their ancient name, my lord," the monk had replied, "all of the peoples of Dalriada, both here and in Antrim are Scoti." Eoric grew thoughtful. Could the use of the word 'Scots' be a reference to the men of Dalriada then? Was the man is his vision claiming more territory for Dalriada? Eoric could picture the image of the man in his head. He looked every inch the King and he now wondered if he was destined to be a great King of Dalriada in the future. He recalled the man had called himself Kenneth mac Alpin and Eoric now made a mental note to try and identify any of the leading chiefs in Dalriada who might have names that were similar. He had experienced a vision that portrayed Eochaid Buide's death and had assumed that Domnall Brec, the King's son, would be the next king. Was it possible that it would be somebody else? Both of the girls were now showing signs of their pregnancies. Sarah was slightly more advanced than Gemma, but both had swelling stomachs to deal with. The physical evidence of their condition seemed to please them however, and they shared experiences with each other as each new stage developed. ------- One problem had reared its head once the snows came. The positioning of the settlement might give it a strong defensive position, but it was difficult to walk around the sloping ground when it was covered in snow. The children loved it and they created slides for themselves wherever possible. That made the underfoot conditions even more treacherous and Eoric scratched his head to try and come up with a solution. Villagers were organised into teams with wooden shovels to clear pathways between the various structures and Eoric split the village up into zones with a team nominated to keep each zone clear. He had also observed that the banks of the loch always seemed to lose their snow quickly and he guessed that the salt water was somehow contributing to the speed with which the snow melted. He tested out his theory by pouring some seawater onto the snow and watched as the snow did indeed melt. He tried the same with ordinary water and could clearly see it wasn't as effective. "It's the salt in the seawater, that's what makes the difference," said his inner voice. Eoric used some energy to create another stone basin, this time close to the loch and he lit a fire under the basin before beginning to fill it with seawater. He organised a rota to continue to feed the fire until three days later the water had all evaporated off and a thin layer of white crystals was left behind. The crystals were gathered up and Eoric sprinkled some onto the snow. It wasn't long before he could see the snow was melting and he smiled as he felt he now had a complete solution to the slippery rock in the camp. After refilling the basin with more seawater, he took the first batch of crystals up to the camp and let the villagers sprinkle some on the paths they had already cleared. Very quickly the last vestiges of snow and ice melted and the bare rock was once more safe to walk on. When the girls realised what Eoric had and that he was using it to throw onto the ground they pounced on him. "Eoric! That's salt. It's much too valuable to be throwing away. Where did it come from? I've never seen that much salt in one place," said Sarah. "Safety comes first and if we don't melt the snows someone is going to slip and hurt themselves badly. Anyway, there's plenty more where this came from so you needn't get so upset with me," he replied. When he explained where the salt had come from the girls wanted to know how he had thought of such a thing. He explained how he had noticed the snow melting beside the loch and had made the connection with the seawater. The girls explained how it could be used to preserve food and also in cooking to help flavour dishes. They both hugged their very clever lover, telling him how wonderful he was. ------- As the snow melted Eoric had to make further adjustments to the streams and the tunnels coming out of each house to stop them becoming flooded. Ben Cruachan certainly gathered plenty of snow and the volume of water as it melted were huge. Spring brought a number of significant events. The first was Gemma going into labour. Both of Eoric's girls were worried about this, as she was early and still had a full month to go they had calculated. He was banished from the room despite his protests and he had to sit in the main room of the house and connect with Gemma and Sarah to find out what was going on. He felt the pain Gemma was experiencing, but also felt the birth of his first son. He remained connected to her and now also connected with this new life. Eoric sensed a presence returning his scrutiny and was so stunned he lost his connection. Before he could focus on re-establishing it, he felt something reaching out to his mind and he let his mouth drop open in wonder as he felt his son connect with him. There wasn't much to read inside the baby's head, but there was a strong sense of questioning. It was if the infant wanted to know everything at once and Eoric could actually feel the information begin to build itself in baby Angus' mind. "Are you my father?" came a little voice. Eoric felt tears of joy stinging his eyes as he tried to reply. "Yes, my son. Welcome into the world. I can see you are going to develop quickly with the ability to do what you have just done," he projected. "Oh. I can see from your thoughts that the ability to read minds like this is highly unusual. Should I keep it hidden?" "I think it might be best for now. I'm coming to see you," Eoric replied. When Eoric entered the room the baby was wrapped up and Gemma was holding him tightly to her breast. Gemma was amazed when the baby was able to turn its head and a smile spread across its face at the sight of Eoric. She held the bundle out and Eoric took Angus from her. "Well met, Angus. I hope you're not going to be this impatient for your whole life. You weren't due to be born for another month and you have your two mothers worried about your health. Please let them know you're okay," he said. Baby Angus turned his head to look at Gemma and gave a strangled squeal. He looked round at Sarah and repeated the noise. The girls knew this could be no coincidence and they looked at Eoric questioningly. "I think this little one is going to surprise you both with how quickly he develops. He's a smart one alright." Eoric kissed the baby and handed him back to Gemma then bent to kiss her gently too. He hadn't missed the significance of this premature birth - now Gemma's child was first when it had seemed all along that it would be Sarah's. He put his arm around Sarah's waist and pulled her close so he could kiss her too. He could tell that there were no feelings of resentment from the little Saxon woman at all, just joy at the birth and anticipation that soon she would have her own son to hold. ------- Several days later, when Eoric was making one of his periodic checks on the Queen and the chamberlain he discovered that Æthelfrith had been active. The King of Northumbria had offered Redwald riches in terms of beasts - horses, cattle and sheep - if he would hand over Edwin. King Edwin of Deira was by now sixteen years of age and Æthelfrith obviously still saw him as a potential threat. His offer also carried a somewhat ominous threat of what would happen if Edwin was not handed over. Eoric considered this to be a potential opportunity to weaken Æthelfrith. He had tinkered with the East Anglian Queen's mind for just such a chance. He could now work on her so that she would influence Redwald to refuse to hand Edwin over. Hopefully that would lead to bad blood between East Anglia and Northumbria, war even. He could also work on the chamberlain so that he too advised Redwald against complying with Æthelfrith request. Eoric found a quiet spot and sat down to carry out this task. He gathered up some energy from the earth around him and began to extend himself. He knew that this would be the furthest he had ever tried to reach and had to continue to soak up energy as he sensed his presence speeding southwards. After a few minutes he felt the Queen's mind and was relieved that everything seemed clear, her thoughts open to him. He planted the suggestion that handing Edwin over to Æthelfrith would be without honour, an act of treachery and sinful in the sight of god. He was surprised to feel the reaction to this last part of the suggestion, as it became clear that the Queen was a deeply religious woman. It only took a few more minutes to alter the chamberlain's perspective of Æthelfrith's demand too. Eoric fed him thoughts that suggested the East Anglian lords and people would be set against Edwin being handed over. If Redwald was to take such a course, his own position as king would be seriously undermined. He added in the suggestion that Æthelfrith might have designs on expanding Northumbria by invading East Anglia for good measure and when he had finished he was happy that the planted thoughts had taken hold. Now all he had to do was sit back and see how his suggestions worked. ------- Two weeks after the birth if Angus, Sarah went into labour and one of the older women from the village attended her. Gemma wanted to perform this task, but Eoric had forbidden her from being out of bed for too long. The princess had lost blood during her own delivery and he was taking no chances. This time Eoric was prepared when he sensed the questioning presence of the new infant that told him Connal had been born. "Welcome into the world, my son," he projected. "Where am I? Why am I here? Who are you?" came a little voice. Eoric couldn't stop himself from smiling. Seconds old and already so many questions. "Reach out with your mind and you will be able to find the answers to all of your questions, Connall," Eoric responded. "Father? Ah, I see now and I understand that I must keep my abilities hidden. I can feel the presence of another and your thoughts tell me he is my brother. Angus?" "Yes, his name is Angus and you should be able to speak to him as you are doing with me now," Eoric replied. He felt the connection end and assumed that Connall was searching for his brother. "I cease to be surprised by what happens around you, Eoric. But mark my words, these two are going to be a handful. They might have inherited at least some of your abilities, but they will be full of mischief like all other children. They will be almost like a pair of Bauchailleen!" came Merlin's voice from inside him. Eoric chuckled anew at Merlin's suggestion. He accepted that life with the two boys was not going to be dull. Already he was looking forward to it. He quietly admitted to himself that it would be good to have others around him with similar abilities. ------- The year 615AD turned out to be a pleasant one for Eoric and his enlarged family. Eochaid had returned to Ireland to support Donachd in his defence of Antrim. His son Domnall Brec had travelled with him, leaving King Beli of Strathclyde to harry the Picts on his own. Eochaid hadn't called for Eoric to raise his forces this time, so he remained in Lorne with ample time to spend with the girls and the two babies. He chose his moment carefully before revealing the fact that both Angus and Connall had inherited some of his abilities. He remembered Sarah's concerns that the child growing inside her might turn out to be some kind of freak. The girls had quickly bonded with both and Eoric felt it was now safe to tell them everything without any fear of them rejecting the infants. He connected regularly with the boys and it was now just like having a normal conversation for him. Although they were only months old, they were both mentally as aware as children much older were. Eoric was pleased to see they were each developing their own distinct personality, but they were as close as twins were. He had also been exploring with them the range of abilities that they might have inherited. He knew how fickle women could be and that if he let their abilities remain secret for much longer, he ran the risk of the girls actually being mad with him for concealing things. It was a particularly beautiful spring day in Taynuilt and the family was down by the loch side, just soaking up the sunshine and admiring the scenery. Gemma and Sarah had packed some food for later, but for now they were playing with the boys and laughing at their antics. Eoric stripped off and waded out into the water. "Okay boys, I think it's time we let your mothers into our little secret. I want you both to strip off and then join me in the water," he projected. "Hurrah!" came two excited replies. Eoric watched as the boys hurriedly stripped off the linen nappies they were wearing and stood to toddle towards the water's edge. The looks on the girls' faces were a picture, as they saw their son's strip and take their first steps. Eoric could feel both infants soaking up a little energy from their surroundings to help their underdeveloped leg muscles for this first walk and he smiled as the girls finally found their voices. "Eoric! The boys are walking!" they both cried excitedly. The surprise was quickly replaced with concern as the girls realised the boys were heading for the water. Before they could react, Angus and Connall had waded in and then dived forward to begin swimming. Sarah and Gemma stood on the shore with mouths open as they watched the infants dart around like fish. They could hear the squeals of excitement and delight coming from them, as Eoric raced around them and when he caught one, he threw him up in the air. The second time Eoric caught Connal and threw him upward, they were all surprised when the infant didn't fall back into the water, but instead hovered above it. Angus let himself be caught and thrown so that he too could try this new trick. Both boys hovered above the water until Eoric splashed them and their concentration broke. They tumbled back into the water and rose to the surface squealing once more. Eoric thought it was time to return to the shore and find out how the girls were taking things. They would be in no doubt now that the boys had abilities after the little display they had put on. He had been surprised himself though at their apparent ability to fly. He was barely out of the water before the questions started. "How long have you known?" asked Gemma. Eoric looked sheepish as he continued out of the water and shook himself dry. "Since the very moment they were born," he admitted. "And you have concealed it from us?" Sarah challenged. "Have a mercy, my loves. I wasn't sure how you would react at first and thought it better for you to get to know the boys normally before sharing this with you," he defended himself. He was relieved when he saw that their faces hadn't taken on the angry looks he had seen from them in the past. It was possible that he might just escape with his skin intact after all. "Tell us all of it," said Gemma. Her face took on a look of surprise and she turned to face her young son. "Angus? Was that you?" she asked. The toddler nodded and smiled at her. "He spoke to me! Inside my head, I heard his voice!" Eoric hurriedly dressed and they all sat down once more on the loch side. He shared with the girls what the boys could do, smiling when he saw their attention waver as the infants were obviously connecting with them. It soon became clear that Sarah and Gemma saw this new development as a good thing. They could now communicate with their children and know that they were being understood, that would make life much easier. Unfortunately for the toddlers this did mean they couldn't get away with some of the things they had been up until now. Another aspect to the boys having abilities was that Gemma and Sarah now thought they would be safer and hopefully healthy. ------- Spring passed into summer and work continued at Taynuilt on building the perimeter walls for the village. Eoric also began to plan a small jetty out into the sea loch and sent word round his lordship that he was in need of some shipwrights. After the hectic events of the previous year the contrast of having no major 'kingdom' responsibilities allowed him to spend some time getting to know his lordship and his people better. He was quite daunted by the responsibilities that came with being the Lord of Lorne. His word was law and he was expected to rule over disputes between people. In all of this, Eoric found Merlin to be a sage advisor and soon he was reaping the benefit as his people began to see his judgements were fair and wise. He was also reviewing the defences of all of his settlements and urging the inhabitants to add to these. Eoric had witnessed how much of a difference good defences could make. ------- As the time neared for gathering in the harvest, King Eochaid put in an appearance at Taynuilt. He had been campaigning in Ireland throughout the spring and summer, but hostilities had been suspended on both sides almost by mutual agreement. Securing the harvest was so important for survival in the seventh century that it took priority over everything else. Eochaid had a small party of troopers with as guard and his eldest son, Domnall Brec. There was another man who looked to have some substance about him with the King and Eochaid introduced him as Connad Cerr mac Conall. As part of trying to identify who Kenneth mac Alpin was, Eoric had learned quite a bit about the history of Dalriada. He discovered that the first of the Scots to leave Antrim and establish themselves on this side of the Irish Sea were two sons of the mighty Erc - Fergus Mor and Oengus (modern day Innes or Angus). The brothers had sailed from Antrim around one hundred and twenty years before. Fergus mac Erc had taken the lands now known as Dalriada through sheer brute strength from the Picts while his brother, Angus, had sailed further north, at first taking and holding many of the larger islands of the Hebrides. Gradually Angus' clan had spread and established themselves in the lands north of Inverness. Eoric had run in the area around Inverness the previous year and he knew the lands to the north were all but cut off by a line of mountains, each stretching over three thousand feet high. He had now learned the lands beyond these mountains were known as Siorrachd Rois (modern day Ross), Cataibh (modern day Sutherland) and Gallaibh (modern day Caithness). The lands Eoric knew as Dalriada were made up of three main lordships. One represented one of Fergus Mor mac Erc's sons - Loarn who had founded a dynasty or the clan Loarn that gave Eoric's own lordship of Lorne its name. The two other lordships were linked to Fergus' two grandsons - Comgall and Gabran. These two grandsons had established their own clans - the clan nGabran held Kintyre and the clan Comgall parts of Knapdale, but also added Cowall by defeating the Picts there. Eoric now discovered that this Connad Cerr mac Conall who accompanied Eochaid was the grandson of the founder of the clan Comgall while Eochaid himself was the grandson of the founder of the clan nGabran. That made Connad Cerr an important man in Dalriada, of the stock that had founded the kingdom indeed. From the outset it was clear that Connad didn't like Eoric and he made no attempt to disguise the fact. He was arrogant and overbearing almost to the point of being rude to his host. Eoric led his guests up to his house and called for refreshments to be served. Gemma and Sarah hurried to prepare the household's staple foodstuff - fish - and toasted bread with cheese. Large beakers of ale were also set in front of the men. "My thanks for your hospitality, Eoric. I think I might have made a mistake in not taking you to Antrim with me. The hosting season has not gone well and the Ui Neill are still pressing our men there hard," Eochaid said in between bites of bread. "I don't think the blacksmith would have made too much difference, Eochaid! What is this? Is your house so poor it has no meat man? Would you insult me by trying to feed me this stinking fish?" Connad spat out rudely. "I've seen Eoric in action, Connad and he can do things no other can," Domnall Brec said. "Anyone would have been an improvement over yourself Domnall, how many battles have you won? How many I ask you?" Connad threw back at the King's son. Domnall's face grew strained and red. It was no secret that he had yet to be in a battle on the winning side and that fact clearly rankled. To have Connad bring it up so openly was too much for him to take. He stood up from the table and dropped his hand for his dirk. "Not in my house, not when you are partaking of my hospitality!" said Eoric. His voice had taken on the power and command that it sometimes did when he was annoyed. Once again it had its affect and Domnall calmed down and sat back at the table. Connad wore a satisfied smirk at having managed to get under the other man's skin. "And you, my Lord of Knapdale and Cowall, kindly keep a civil tongue in your head while you are at my table, sir. If the fish is not good enough for you then I suggest you leave and find your own food," Eoric challenged Connad. Connad was surprised at being spoken to by a boy who could only be sixteen or seventeen. His eyes narrowed and Eoric could read the thoughts going through his head. Connad felt Eochaid's gift of the lordship of Lorne was too much and that a lowly blacksmith should not have been elevated the way he had. He deeply resented the King's actions and now the fact that Eoric had dared to challenge him had just cemented his dislike. "Enough bickering in my presence, I won't have it!" said Eochaid, "Eoric, the main reason I have come is to see my grandson. Where is he?" Five months old Angus came walking up to the table right on cue. He proceeded to climb up onto the King's lap and beamed him a toothless smile, immediately captivating the man's attention. "How old is he again? Surely he is too young to be walking already?" the King asked. "Five months, Sire. And his brother is just as good and he's two weeks younger," Eoric said proudly. Eoric saw that, despite his outburst, Connad was now eating the fish. The man was clearly no lover of children and was studiously ignoring little Angus. "And you have called him Angus? A good name, Eoric. A name held by my own great, great grandsire's brother no less. When I was told what name you had chosen I decided you had to be sending me a message. My thoughts immediately turned to the clan Angus in the far north and I wondered whether we could interest them in joining with us to fight the Picts? Here is a mission with a more notable chance of success than your last, my friend," suggested the King. "You believe so, Sire?" replied Eoric, "how long is it since you had any contact with these distant cousins?" "It's been many generations, but I'm sure they will be doing fine. They come from good stock after all!" the King laughed. It was agreed that Eoric should take messages from Eochaid to whoever ruled in the far north as soon as the harvest was in. Eochaid advised that he would be returning to Antrim to take up the struggle again with the Ui Neill. Eoric fervently hoped that Connad Cerr would be going with him. Thankfully Eochaid only remained at Taynuilt one night before heading for his own Dunadd. He had commented on the unique nature of the village and its strong defences, even his amazement at inside toilets and running water. The apple of his eye was clearly little Angus however, and he swung the boy up onto his horse to give him a parting hug. The fact that Angus showed no fear at being on the back of the large horse, indeed giggled happily, further endeared him to his grandfather. ------- Chapter 23 Eoric spent as much time as possible with his family over the next few weeks. The people of Lorne were busy bringing in the harvest that would ensure they had sufficient grain to support them over the coming year. Eoric spent time walking through the woods and fields around Taynuilt, letting the two boys connect with nature. Now that the boys were up on their feet and their abilities had been shared with the girls, nappies were a thing of the past and they could now sport their own miniature kilts. Angus, with his sandy brown hair and intense blue eyes, proved to have an uncommon affinity for the trees and those creatures that dwelled in them. It was all Eoric could do to stop the boy either climbing or trying to fly up into the canopy as they wandered through the forest. Connall was blond and had his mother's eyes. He showed more of a liking for the fields and the water than his half-brother and Eoric could sense that the boy felt the same 'pull' from the sea that he himself did. Both the children continued to be hungry for knowledge and this led to periods of incessant questioning. Eoric found he sometimes had to draw some energy from nature just to keep himself from being tired out as he tried to keep up with everything they wanted to know. The mental communication between the father and his sons was strong and individually, each of the boys seemed to have a permanent connection to his mother. All too soon for the family, the harvest was in and Eoric prepared himself for his mission to the far north. The boys clamoured to be allowed to go with him, but even Eoric had to concede they were too young. On a sun kissed morning in early September, he kissed and hugged each of them and then waved as he set out for the lands of the clan Angus. At first his journey took him through countryside he had already travelled before. He kept his speed down a little so he could appreciate the scenery as he travelled the length of Loch Etive northwards. He followed the path of the River Etive for a few more miles then forded it and set his sights on the 'Devil's staircase' pass through the mountains in Glen Coe. This was Eoric's favourite time of the year for being out in the highlands and he breathed the cool, clear mountain air as he ran. Sometimes he mimicked the calls of the many birds that flew around him, more than once attracting eagles who believed they were being called by their mates. By mid-day he was already passing the head of Loch Leven and he stopped here to catch and cook some fish. His way north was now blocked by a range of imperious mountains, perhaps twelve or more of them and all over three thousand feet high. He was forced westwards along the banks of Loch Leven, through the Glenrigh forest until he met the shores of Loch Linnhe. As he ran alongside the loch, he could see that a second and even higher, more magnificent range backed the first range of mountains. He stopped running to gaze up at Ben Nevis. He had heard some of the people of Taynuilt describe this peak and he had been increasingly aware of its deep roots and soaring heights as he neared it. It reared up before him, almost four and a half thousand feet high, its summit already white with snow this early in the year. From somewhere deep inside himself he felt those parts that were faery begin to sing a bold song of praise for the mountain and he soon caught the refrain and added his own human voice in a melody. Shaking himself, he bowed to Ben Nevis and started running once more, buoyed by everything that was around him. He had to skirt a smallish settlement at the head of Loch Linnhe and then his route took him along the shores of Loch Lochy, nestled in the valley that was Glen Gloy. Eoric now struck out almost due north, cutting across Glen Moriston and on towards Glen Affric and further still until he reached the same Strath Bran that Donachd had marched his Antrim men through the summer before. He climbed a relatively small hill, An Cabar, and descended to rest for a while at the head of Loch Fannich. Another full day of running, now through countryside that required him to take numerous winding and twisting glens as his road through the mountains, brought him closer and closer to the sea once more. Eoric could feel the water with every nerve and sinew, as it pulled on him like a physical thing. He had felt virtually no other human presence as he passed through the mountains and he assumed they were so rugged as to afford little sustenance either for plants or stock. Now as he neared the settlement he had heard described by Eochaid - Dòrnach (modern day Dornoch) - the land became flatter and more fertile as it rolled down from the mountains to the Dornoch Firth. The firth was a dramatic setting in and of itself, with a vast expanse of sandy beach on both sides. Eoric could sense a mass of humanity at a spot some four miles away from him, on the other side of the firth. He stripped off and wasted no time in throwing himself into the seawater, easily holding his clothes out of the sea as he swam. Within minutes he had completed the crossing to the other side and he waded ashore onto the sand before pulling his clothes on once more. Eoric approached the settlement cautiously until he could identify its occupants were indeed Celts and not Picts. Once he was sure of that he focussed on removing his natural camouflage and made himself known to a pair of herders who were watching over a flock of sheep. The gaelic used by the herders was almost the same as his own, but with a few odd words that he didn't recognise. "Well met, my friends. I seek whosoever rules these lands," he said to the men. They looked at him curiously. It was clear that they weren't used to meeting strangers, certainly not strangers who spoke their own tongue so well. "And what would a wee laddie your age be wanting with Angus Dhu (black Angus)?" one of them replied. "I may be young, friend, but I am the Lord of Lorne and my business is with your lord," Eoric responded. The claim to be a lord and the use of the name Lorne had an immediate effect and one of the herders volunteered to act as guide. The settlement was scarcely a mile further on and Eoric's senses had already identified that it was home to around four hundred men, women and children. His guide led him through a set of wooden gates that were set in a circular wooden palisade and on towards what was clearly the main structure of the camp. At the doorway to Dornoch's main hall, the herder paused and held a whispered conversation with a man who was sitting at one of the first tables they came to. The man rose and walked over to Eoric. "Innes here says you claim to be the Lord of Lorne and that you are seeking words with King Angus Dhu," he said. "I do not claim to be Lord of Lorne, I am. If King Angus is the one who rules here, then that is who I am seeking," Eoric responded. He felt himself being scrutinised by the other man and his hackles began to rise. When he made a quick connection he found that the man was questioning his status on the grounds of his age and he learned that his name was Farlan mac Duff. Eoric decided to shock the man a little for his discourtesy. "Instead of disbelieving my identify, Farlan mac Duff, I suggest you would be doing your King greater service by taking me to him without further delay. Tell him that Eoric mac Eochaid brings a message from Dalriada," he said. The use of Farlan's name did indeed bring a look of surprise to the man's face. The use of the name Dalriada also seemed to convince him to take Eoric directly to King Angus. The King was in fact sitting at his own table in the hall and Farlan guided Eoric towards him. Eoric could see immediately why the King was called black Angus. He had long jet-black hair and swarthy skin. Thick, bushy black eyebrows and what seemed to be a permanent scowl dominated his face. "Sire, I have here one who calls himself the Lord of Lorne and who says he brings a message from Dalriada," Farlan said. Eoric was amazed to see the King's face totally transform as a wide grin lit up his features. His deep brown eyes turned on Eoric and his smile was reflected in the glint they held. "Those are names I have only heard recently in song and in legend," Angus said, "yet by the looks of you, you're real enough." "Well met, Sire. Indeed I am real and I bring a message from your distant cousin, Eochaid Buide, King of Dalriada. Eochaid is directly descended from Fergus Mhor mac Erc, Sire, of the old stock," Eoric replied. At the mention of Eochaid's lineage, Angus sat up straighter and he looked the more excited. Eoric was treated to a large beaker of ale and encouraged to share with the King everything that had been going on in Dalriada. When he covered the campaign against the Picts and the fact that Donachd had captured Inverness the previous summer, Angus exclaimed in surprise. "By the rood! So close, if only I had known. We have little trouble from the Picts, as they find the trek through the mountains too tiring for their short legs perhaps," he laughed, "neither are they big on boats. So, despite the fact that Inverness is less than a score of miles away, we seldom see the savages. If I had but known of your plans, Eoric. If I had but known, I could have joined you and held Inverness after the Picts had been defeated. No doubt the heathens will already be back there and will have strengthened their defences." "You may well have the rights of it, Sire. They had just begun to build defences when Donachd and his men attacked last year. They may be savages, but they learn quickly from their mistakes," Eoric replied. Eoric now expanded the discussion to try and bring King Angus to publicly voice his support for a further campaign against the Picts. He had connected with the King and read his thoughts quickly so he knew that Angus was already imagining how much stronger he would be if he could annex Inverness and the surrounding Moray lands. Eoric felt that a public declaration would achieve all that Eochaid had asked of him. "If King Eochaid was to lead another expedition from Dalriada, would you unite your own forces against the Picts then, Sire?" he asked. Angus looked thoughtful for a few moments and Eoric knew he was calculating how many men he would need to commit, what his casualties might be and setting that against the potential gains. Angus Dhu came to the conclusion that such a chance might be long in coming again. Better by far to fight the Picts with the overwhelming odds that the Dalriada army would give, than to ever try and take Inverness himself. "When, my Lord of Lorne?" Angus asked bluntly. "It will be next spring now at the earliest, Sire. Eochaid is occupied in Antrim once more and by the time he returns the passes through the mountains will be blocked by snow," Eoric answered. "Has Eochaid committed his full strength in Ireland?" Angus now enquired. "Noooo," Eoric hesitated, as he could read where Angus was going next. "Could not you, my Lord of Lorne, lead a force from Dalriada before the snows?" Angus asked, his use of Eoric's title a flagrant attempt to influence him with a little flattery. Now it was Eoric's turn to reflect. An early strike, if successful, would in all likelihood leave the Picts short of food for the winter months. There was a good chance that much of their harvest would be in and stored at Inverness. If they could capture that it would be a significant blow against the enemy and one that would leave them far weaker come the spring. He wondered whether it would be possible to persuade King Beli and his Strathclyde Celts to try another raid into the north. With his own Lorne levies uncommitted currently, it was just possible he could raise around one thousand men quickly enough to have an attempt at this. "I cannot promise, Sire. There might be a chance, but only if I can persuade the King of Strathclyde to join us also. He has his eyes set on some of the fertile lands in Strath Tay and any defeat for the Picts would make that the more likely," Eoric said at last. "How long man? How long before you can be back at Inverness and with how many men?" Angus demanded to know. "It will take me two days to get back to Dalriada and another three or four to raise the men," Eoric answered. He could see Angus look at him strangely at the claim he could be back at Dalriada in two days. "What miracle beast are you riding that can take you so far in such a short space of time?" he asked. "Nothing but my own legs, Sire. In any event, the march north will be the slowest, probably ten or eleven days if the men are pushed each day. So, I think I could be back with perhaps a thousand men within two weeks," Eoric said. Angus was clearly still highly sceptical about Eoric's claim, but he agreed that he would marshal his own forces and stand ready to meet Eoric at the same spot he had rendezvoused with Donachd the year before. Eoric wasted no more time and took his leave of King Angus Dhu to begin the journey back to Taynuilt. ------- Only thirteen days later Eoric and King Beli rode at the head of a combined force of Lorne and Strathclyde men totalling thirteen hundred, as they spotted King Angus and his Ross Celts camped on the banks of the Moray Firth. Angus had clearly committed as many men as he could gather in from his sparsely populated kingdom and had a force of over six hundred. Despite the fact that his contribution to the attacking forces was probably the smallest, Angus Dhu claimed seniority and assumed overall leadership of the combined army. Eoric was not put out by this in the least. He was already dreading the fact that he would need to lead his own Lorne men into the fray this time and once more the thought was making him feel physically sick. King Beli was less sanguine, but the sheer force of Angus' personality had even him accepting the others leadership. A move was made immediately for Inverness. As they approached it Eoric allowed his senses to expand outwards so that he could map out the town and any new defences the Picts might have built. He could see that they had in fact established a five-foot high dyke all the way round the summit of their hill-fort and knew that defeating them could be costly. When the Celtic army reached the same spur of high ground that Donachd had occupied the year before, all could see for themselves how effectively the Picts had used the intervening months. "Saints preserve us! Here is a well-constructed nest. I fear we are going to have to shed a good deal of blood to oust the savages from their perch," said Angus. It was clear the Picts had been warned of their advance and they could see men streaming up the hill and in behind the fortifications. Eoric estimated there were only just over five hundred men of fighting age, but there were women and children inside the settlement too. He glanced around him at the army of almost two thousand Celts, their faces almost as grim as the grey clouds that hung ominously in the sky above them. Angus decided it would be of benefit to let their men rest while he sent out scouts to try and identify any points of weakness in the Picts defences. He himself called for food and usuige beatha and welcomed Eoric and Beli to join him. Darkness was soon falling and Angus now told them that any assault would need to wait until morning. He promptly rolled himself in his plaid and for all the world looked to have fallen asleep immediately. Eoric was up early the next morning. His stomach was heaving with the thought of the impending loss of life and he had been wracking his brain to try and identify anything that might keep casualties down to a minimum. He had latched onto the memory of the weather the day before and was now anxiously peering up at the sky to see how low the cloud base was. "Oh I like it Eoric, I like it!" came Merlin's voice inside his head. Eoric soaked up as much energy as his body could take and focussed on pulling the cloud base down around the summit of the Inverness hill-fort. He found it was much easier than he had imagined and in fact he nearly allowed the clouds to sink too low. He looked at the hill and smiled at how strange it looked. It was only the clouds around the settlement itself that had dropped; all the others around had maintained their natural altitude. It gave the impression that Inverness was actually billowing grey smoke upwards. Eoric now ran to rouse the Celts so they could take advantage of his device. "Sire! Sire! To arms, an unexpected opportunity!" he cried as he ran. Angus and Beli roused themselves and they in turn gazed at the strange phenomenon. There was enough superstition still around for them to hesitate momentarily before Angus gave the orders for a general advance. All of the lieutenants were warned to keep noise down to a minimum as the Celts began to climb the hill. The clouds had descended without warning and the Celts had moved quickly to take advantage of the fact that the hill-fort was now shrouded in thick fog. The Picts had therefore had no time to re-organise themselves or put out any pickets to warn them of an advance. As a result, the Celts were soon pouring over the defensive dyke virtually unopposed. Of course, in the fog it was difficult for any concerted attacks to be launched and it was largely every man for himself. The widespread clash of arms alerted the Picts to the fact that their camp had been overrun. They had gazed down at the Celtic army the night before so knew full well that they were vastly outnumbered. It was no surprise therefore that many chose to slip off into the fog with the women and children rather than take their chances. Eoric was relieved when his senses confirmed that many were indeed fleeing and once out of the fog they weren't stopping, but were off into the surrounding countryside. Casualties were few in consequence and his nausea lessened. Within an hour the cloud had lifted once more and Angus, Beli and Eoric found themselves in possession of Inverness with perhaps only a total of twenty men killed in the entire exchange. Angus was triumphant and boasted that the lord god himself was obviously on their side. Eoric knew differently and wasn't sure about the blasphemy, but he chose not to correct Angus Dhu. Instead he smiled quietly to himself at the part he had played. He had raised the men from the south and had then used his abilities to win the day. All in all it hadn't been a bad effort he thought. It was agreed that Angus would remain in occupation of Inverness. He told them he was minded to make it his main base rather than Dornoch, as it was far more strategically placed to control the fertile lands around. Satisfied that they had achieved what they had come for, Eoric and Beli stayed to celebrate with their men for two days, but then bid Angus farewell and began the homeward journey. ------- Eoric was still fully fifty miles from Taynuilt when he felt the boys reaching out to connect with him. This was a significant increase over anything they had managed before. "Father, hurry home. The rude man that was here before has returned with King Eochaid and we don't like him," came the boy's voices. Eoric turned to his main chieftain, Fergus, and told him to lead the men the remainder of the way home. Fergus and the Lorne force were once more astounded at the speed with which Eoric ran off at, once he had dismounted from his horse. The men knew they had an unusual and resourceful lord indeed. He arrived at the house to find Eochaid and Connad being entertained by Gemma and Sarah. No sooner had he entered the door than Connad began his overbearing and arrogant comments once more. "A more careful man wouldn't leave two such fine beauties on their own and unprotected," he said, "this one in particular I wouldn't mind warming my own bed tonight if she's available and wants to try out a real man." His arm reached out to snake round Sarah's waist as he said this and, as she shrieked, Eoric lost his temper. "Take your hands off of her before I strike them from your wrists, Sirrah! I warned you before about keeping a civil tongue in your head when you're accepting my hospitality. If you can't watch what you say, perhaps it would be better for your mouth to remain shut!" Eoric cried angrily. His anger all but disappeared at the look of terror on Connad's face when he found that he couldn't open his mouth no matter how hard he tried. King Eochaid guessed that Eoric had used his abilities on Connad and he began to laugh at the other's predicament. "Ha, Connad. You don't have a lot to say for yourself now. What was your last comment? Ah yes, you were suggesting that Eoric would come back with his men un-blooded and his tail between his legs. Eoric, come, tell me what you have been up to in my absence," said Eochaid. Eoric was pleased with the continuing struggles of the insulting guest and he smiled at Eochaid and the girls as he took a seat and drank from the beaker of ale that sat on the table. "I carried out your orders Eochaid King, I paid a visit to your cousins in the far north. I can tell you that your cousins are now a bit nearer than they were, for with King Beli in support, my men of Lorne helped King Angus Dhu take and hold Inverness," Eoric replied proudly. Eochaid banged his own beaker on the table in salute, ale spilling everywhere. "Hear you that, Connad. While you have been boasting about your own prowess, my Lord of Lorne has achieved something a little more tangible than you managed it seems. Tell me how this was all achieved, Eoric," he demanded. Eoric told of his meeting with Angus Dhu and his request to make an early assault on Inverness. When he described how the clouds had fallen to blind the Picts, Eochaid raised his eyebrows in question. Eoric nodded slightly to confirm the King's suspicion that he had been behind the sudden fog. Connad was becoming ever more frantic in his efforts to open his mouth and Eoric decided to add to his difficulties by using his mind to force Connad's hands together in front of him and leaving them stick like that. This man had dared to put his hands on Sarah, now let him be aware that he couldn't use his hands like that in Eoric's house. Now he couldn't use his hands at all! Connall waddled under the table and his stepbrother was obviously connected to him, as he quickly followed. Eoric zoned in and almost laughed out loud as he heard Connall's thoughts that he wasn't accepting this man insulting his mother. Connall lifted his kilt and began to pee on Connad's feet. His stepbrother caught on and joined in. Soon Connad's feet were soaked and his face took on an embarrassed red colour. Eoric was at once proud of the boys for their instinctive protection of the girls and amused at their method of retaliation. Eochaid watched this new development with amusement. If truth be told he also found Connad overbearing and difficult to get on with. The lessons Eoric and the boys were now teaching the arrogant lord might well be valuable ones. He turned his attention back to Eoric. "There is still stalemate in Ireland, although I think we might have sown a few seeds of discord. We have made overtures to one of the Ui Neill clans, the mac Suibne, and it may be that we can drive a wedge through the Ui Neill alliance. I would have you with me in Antrim in the spring, Eoric. I'm convinced that you are Dalriada's talisman and that we will have more success against the Irish with you by my side," said the King. "As you command, Sire," replied Eoric. Gemma and Sarah busied themselves in the background with scowls on their faces, as they overheard and knew that Eoric would be away from them once more. Eoric left Connad struggling for perhaps another hour with his feet in the pool of urine before he loosened his mouth and hands. Not surprisingly, the Lord of Cowall and Bute chose not to offer any further insults that night. ------- Chapter 24 The winter of 615AD was relatively mild. Little actual snow fell, but with clear days and nights, Taynuilt enjoyed weak winter sunshine and hard frosts. Eoric's manufacture of salt meant that there was plenty to keep the pathways ice-free once more. The harvest had also been good and the grain stores in Lorne were full. The finishing touches had been applied to Taynuilt's stone walls and two large wooden gates had been hoisted on leather and iron hinges to complete the village's defences. Eoric's jetty had also been completed and work had begun on two boats. While that work was ongoing he had prevailed upon Eochaid to lend him a boat and a captain from Crinan, so he now had the capacity to move a small group of men around the seaboard at will. Much of Eoric's time in the late autumn and early winter had been taken up by a tour of the various settlements throughout Lorne. His purpose in undertaking this tour was twofold. He wanted the people of the lordship to see and accept his family and heirs and also he had his duty to do in terms of resolving disputes that had arisen during the year. The girls and the two boys enjoyed the change of scenery that the tour brought and Angus and Connall in particular enjoyed all the attention they received from the womenfolk in each of the settlements. The boys sat beside Eoric as he was conducting one of his 'justices' in the settlement at Oban. Two families were in dispute over cattle, one man alleging that the other had been stealing his beasts. In retaliation, it was alleged that the man had struck down the son of the other in cold blood. Eoric had to weigh up the statements of various witnesses before giving his judgement. "Father, it appears from what these men are thinking that both have been stealing the other's cattle over many years now. Isn't it a greater sin to kill a human than to steal beasts?" came Angus' voice into Eoric's head. "I think you have the rights of it, Angus. But I need to think carefully about my judgement. Not only do I need to think about what is the right thing and the fairest thing to do, I also need to consider what message my judgement will send to others," Eoric replied. Eoric at last came to a decision on what he would do. "It seems clear from what I have heard that both of you are as guilty as each other in terms of the theft of cattle. My judgement is that you will each surrender half of your beasts to the common ownership and for the use of the entire settlement," he said. This brought dark looks from both men, but appreciative murmuring from the assembled villagers of Oban. Eoric knew he had found a judgement that sent a message that no one man was bigger than the community he was a part of. "The murder of this man's son is a much greater offence. Able-bodied men are what every family, every village and, aye, every lordship depends on. This is therefore a very grave matter. The accepted sentence for one found guilty of such an act is death by hanging..." There were gasps from the crowd, most notably from three women who stood close behind the accused and Eoric guessed they were his family. He spoke slightly louder over the noise and people quietened to hear his judgement. "The normal sentence is hanging I say, but I have already indicated how important able bodied men are so I choose not to take that option. Nevertheless, such an offence must be paid for, and dearly if I am to discourage others from striking down their neighbours. My judgement is that you will give up one of your own sons and he will henceforth live and work with me," Eoric pronounced. "But, my Lord, I have no son, only two daughters," cried the accused. "Then a daughter it will have to be. She will report to Taynuilt by the spring or you will give me no alternative but to have you hanged," Eoric said firmly. The man nodded in acceptance of the judgement. Eoric could sense that he thought he had got off lightly while the overall mood of the crowd was once more that their lord had judged wisely. The man who had lost his son also accepted that justice had been done and he nodded towards Eoric in a clear indication of that. Duty done, Eoric and his family started on the journey back to Taynuilt to see out the winter months. ------- Spring of 616AD brought interesting news for Eoric. During one of his periodic checks on the East Anglian Queen and Redwald's chamberlain, he discovered that Redwald was raising an army and that he intended to attack Æthelfrith. From the Queen's mind he was able to pick out all of the details of Redwald's plans. The young King Edwin of Deira would be enthroned in Æthelfrith's place as King of all Northumbria, but he would be a puppet King, with Redwald pulling the strings from behind. In this way Redwald hoped to remove the constant threats from Æthelfrith while at the same time gain control over the vast riches that Northumbria represented. Eoric was busy raising a force to take with him to Antrim in support of King Eochaid. He knew the King would be very interested in the news from the south, as it might indicate there would be no threat to Dalriada or Strathclyde from the Saxons this year. That meant in turn that Eochaid could risk committing more of his own men to the Irish campaign, as he wouldn't need to worry about defending Dalriada. He was sitting in the main room of the Taynuilt house, sipping from a beaker of water, when Gemma and Sarah entered the house. They were almost physically pushing a young girl in front of them. The girl looked both shy and scared, her head was bowed and she wouldn't look at Eoric. He took in the rags she was wearing and the dirt and grime that covered her. He raised his eyebrow in question at the girls. "This is Megan, Eoric. She has reported for service as you ordered," said Sarah. Eoric looked at all three of them in puzzlement. "Megan is the daughter of the man you passed judgement on in Oban, Eoric. You must remember that you said he had to forfeit one of his daughters or hang. Well, Megan is his daughter and she has been sent to satisfy the judgement you passed," explained Gemma. Eoric could sense the fleas and body lice that infested the girl and he shivered with distaste. His judgement had seemed a good one at the time, but now he was regretting it. "I think Megan needs a bath, girls, and then no doubt you will be able to find enough to keep her busy. Megan, you probably feel you are having to pay a high price for another's wrongdoing. I hope in time you will see that service in this household is no great hardship, indeed you might fare better here than you have been hitherto if the present state of you is anything to go by," Eoric tried to say kindly. At the two references to the state she was in, the girl seemed to find some spirit from within and her head rose so she could deliver a particularly fierce look at Eoric. He smiled back at her in the face of her grim look and her stare faltered in its intensity when she took in his appearance. Sarah and Gemma spun her round and hustled her out to their private bath. Eoric knew that Megan would never have been exposed to such a luxury and thought that she was in for a treat. Later that night Eoric sat down at the table to wait for his supper. Angus and Connall were sitting on either side of him and they were sending him messages about the large salmon they had caught for their mothers that afternoon. Eoric made sure to praise the boys for making their contribution to life at Taynuilt and projected his thoughts to the boys that he was looking forward to tasting the food they had caught. A noise from the kitchen doorway drew Eoric's attention and he looked up to see what had caused it. His breath caught in his throat at the sight that met his eyes. An angelic young girl walked towards the table with a wooden platter bearing an entire steaming salmon. She stood at perhaps five foot four, was slim, had shining brown hair and twinkling brown eyes that framed a long, slender nose. She looked younger than Gemma even and her hair was hooked back behind her little ears. The overall look was one of youthful innocence. Eoric could read that the twinkle in her eyes was due to the affect her appearance was obviously having on him. She had been scrubbed clean and the lustre to her hair suggested hours of brushing. Sarah and Gemma had dressed her in a plain linen smock that did little to hide the small breasts that stood proudly, high on her chest. As Eoric looked he saw the little points of her nipples harden and poke at the linen covering them. The only flaw in the overall picture of loveliness was the remaining evidence of the louse that she had previously been infested with. There were some red spots and rash marks where the girl had been scratching at her skin, but Eoric knew these would fade within a day or two. He found his voice at last and thanked her for the food that she had delivered. Megan giggled girlishly as she returned to the kitchen. Eoric shook his head at how quickly the girl seemed to have overcome what must have been a huge upheaval for her in being separated from her family. "Oh dear, father likes her. What are the two wives he already has going to think of that? came Connall's voice. "Don't be silly. It was obviously mummy Sarah and mummy Gemma who dressed her up like that and sent her in. Don't you think they had an idea how father would react?" chipped in Angus. Eoric could hear both boys giggling happily inside his head and he realised that Angus had made a good point. He decided that he would try and play the innocent with the girls and see how far they were willing to let this little game of theirs go. As Gemma and Sarah came out of the kitchen to join the family for the meal, he connected with them and was surprised to find that Angus was not only right, but that the girls intended that he would be taking Megan as a third wife before long. Eoric struggled to keep a broad grin from breaking out on his face. ------- Only a few days later Eoric had to take his leave of the girls and the two children as he rode at the head of his men en route to Dunadd and then on to Antrim. There had been no time to take anything further with young Megan and that was a disappointment. The journey south to Eochaid's capital took two days due to the pace of the infantry and Eoric was dismayed to spot Connad Cerr riding beside the King, as Eochaid came out from Dunadd to greet him. Eoric paid his respects to the King and then declined the invitation to dine immediately on the basis that he wanted to make sure his men were settled comfortably for the night. Once a suitable spot was found for the Lorne men to camp for the night, Eoric knew he couldn't put off the inevitable any longer and he made his way up the path to the hill-fort and the King's hall. Eochaid had kept a place for him at his own table and when he spotted him enter; he waved him over to take the seat. Eoric breathed a sigh of relief that Connad was on the other side of the King and the noise in the hall precluded any conversation between them. While he knew he could deal with the man easily, he had no great desire to embarrass him in front of the various chiefs and lieutenants that were present. Eochaid had thoughtfully left instructions with his kitchen staff to feed Eoric only vegetables and fish. As he was quietly eating his fish and answering Eochaid's questions, Eoric felt his temples grow tight and when he closed his eyes he was treated to a hellish 'vision'. He recognised the features of Æthelfrith from their brief encounter outside Nimue's cave. Now the King of Northumbria lay on his back with blood seeping out from under a metal helmet that remained wedged on his head. The helmet had a large rent on the side, clearly as the result of a blow either from a sword or an axe. The King's eyes were lifeless and staring. A further wound was evident on his sword arm, a large gash that cut deeply to the bone. Finally, a pikestaff protruded from his stomach, the pole snapped off to leave a jagged, splintered stump. Blood and other fluids leaked out around the shaft of the pike. Eoric was in no doubt that Æthelfrith was dead. Around the King's body, fighting was still in progress and Eoric could see a tight band of horsemen pressing forward to good effect. Two of these stood out from the others, one with a gold circlet round his metal helmet and the other a fine featured youth. He guessed that these were Redwald of East Anglia and Edwin of Deira. A small group on the other side of the battlefield was hastily mounting horses; some of them Eoric could see were very young indeed. They rode off quickly and Eoric believed they were heading northwards. The vision fractured and was replaced by another. This one showed Domnall Brec leading a charge against the massed ranks of what looked like another Celtic host. From their clothing and weapons, Eoric identified them as Irish and he watched as Domnall's force surged forward and then clashed with the enemy. This time the vision only provided clips and he was shown Domnall ripping down the colours of whichever Ui Neill clan he had been fighting, obviously victorious. The next clip showed a different scene and Domnall was this time on the losing side, fleeing in the face of a Pictish army. Two more clips showed Domnall fleeing from the Picts and then a final scene showed Domnall being struck down. Eoric recognised the setting for this clip, Strathcarron, barely ten miles from King Angus Dhu's settlement at Dornoch. The men fighting Domnall's forces were clearly Celts once more and from the setting, presumably from clan Angus? The vision slowly cleared and Eoric looked around himself to see that everyone in the hall was staring at him. He noticed several make the sign of the cross and several others the sign to ward off the evil-eye. "Another vision, man! Out with it, what have you seen this time," Eochaid said urgently at his side. Eoric was still somewhat disorientated and he picked up his beaker to take a sip of ale as he tried to marshal his thoughts. He wondered how much he might have spoken aloud for others to hear. Obviously he must have said something for the King and all these others to know that he had been having a vision. He knew the content of the Domnall Brec clips was likely to cause major upset and he decided to keep most of that to himself. The Saxon vision was fair game however and likely to play well with the King. "I saw the death of Æthelfrith, Sire. Felled by Redwald of East Anglia and the young King Edwin of Deira. I saw Æthelfrith's sons fleeing as if for their very lives and they were heading northwards," Eoric chose his words carefully. "You say so man! When? Here's fine news for all of Strathclyde and Dalriada! That man has been a threat hanging over us for too long," cried Eochaid. "As to when, I'm not sure, Sire, but Edwin looked young and he has already turned seventeen years so I would guess soon. This year probably," Eoric replied. "And what about my son, Domnall?" asked the King. Now Eoric flinched. He had obviously spoken Domnall's name and Eochaid knew some element of the vision involved him. He knew this would require sensitive handling. "I saw Domnall securing a victory in Ireland, Sire. He was leading a host against the Ui Neill and I saw him rip their colours to shreds and hold the rags up for all to see. It was only a fleeting glimpse though and I couldn't really tell much about when or where the battle took place," Eoric answered at last. Eochaid seemed to be satisfied with this, it was good news and to be welcomed, particularly given the reputation that was growing up around Domnall that he would never be victorious. It was getting to the stage that men were nervous and there were mutterings from those Domnall led into battle. This vision was just the thing Eochaid needed to restore his son's reputation. "Hah! Did you hear Connad? Victory over the Irish for Domnall, if Eoric predicts it then it will come to pass," said Eochaid happily. Connad was still giving Eoric a strange look. His experience at the table in Taynuilt had obviously made it clear that there was something out of the ordinary about Eoric. Now this latest demonstration confirmed to him that he was best to avoid the man in future. The noise levels in the hall gradually began to climb again as people managed to overcome their reaction to Eoric's outburst. The King continued to try and pump Eoric for any other details that had been included in his visions and the young man again had to chose his words carefully to avoid opening up the potentially dangerous subject of what else he had seen of Domnall Brec. At last he managed to escape the hall and chose to rejoin his men at their campsite. A night sleeping under the stars with his back on god's earth was an appealing thought after the excitement of the night. The next day was spent kicking their heels as they waited for a final contingent of Connad's men to arrive from Cowall. He was adamant he needed these men with him and convinced Eochaid to wait one more day for them. Eoric took the opportunity to walk amongst his own men, exchanging small talk with them about their families and their settlements. In the afternoon he was sitting alone as he ate some bread and oatmeal mixed with water when he decided to check in on the East Anglian Queen to see whether he could identify any further intelligence about King Redwald's plans. He quickly learned that the battle against Æthelfrith had in fact taken place that very morning, at a place called the River Idle. The Queen was in high spirits because she had received word that her husband had routed Æthelfrith and indeed the King of Northumbria had been killed. Eoric picked up one other piece of useful information. Æthelfrith had three sons and they had all escaped Redwald and Edwin. The Queen knew that their names were Eanfrith, Oswald and Oswui and that they had bolted for the north, but that was all. He busied himself for the remainder of the day consulting with Fergus and his other lieutenants before settling down for another pleasant evening under the stars. Eoric had been asleep for three or four hours when he was awoken by his inner voice. "Eoric, we sense a Gruagach approaching. She is nervous with so many people around, but she is clearly searching for you," the voice said. He roused himself and focussed on identifying where the Gruagach might be. It wasn't difficult to pinpoint the position, a field perhaps half a mile away, and he started to make his way in that direction. Ten minutes or so later, the faery made herself known to him. Eoric winced at her appearance, as she was a truly gruesome sight, gnarled and twisted with wrinkled and sagging skin. He recovered himself and remembered his manners. "Well met, fair one. It isn't often that we are honoured by a visit from one of those who is learned in the lore and the ways of Mother Earth. How can I serve you, mother?" he asked softly. "Hah! I was warned that you had the sweet tongue of a heather pixie," she replied, "flattery will take you far young sir in your dealings with those of my kind. I am so ugly that humans can't abide the sight of me and I long to share a simple conversation with someone. However, tonight there is no time, mores the pity," she replied. "What could be so urgent that a fair maiden like yourself can't spare a few minutes to brighten up my day?" he asked. "Enough flattery, my Lord. I bring news that there are three bairns abroad this night. Sons of the great lord of Northumbria it would seem, but not old enough or wise enough in the ways of nature to survive on their own for long. Already they argue amongst each other, their tiredness and fear getting the better of them. I fear that the elder one is set to abandon the younger two and make off on his own. I would have intervened myself, but one look at me would have finished them off I think. I have heard tales of you from other faeries and thought you would be the only one I could show myself to with any hope of passing on this information," she said now. "What ages are these bairns?" Eoric asked. "The elder is but twelve perhaps and the younger two eight and six," the Gruagach replied. Eoric connected with the faery to gather details of where the children were and then nodded. "I will do what I can, mother," he said. "My own senses tell me that I no longer need to share with you where they are. You must be on your way and quickly," she said. Eoric bent and kissed her withered cheek and then set off at the run southwards. ------- By looking into the mind of the Gruagach, Eoric had identified that Æthelfrith's sons were currently somewhere in the Pentland hills. As the crow flew that was roughly one hundred miles of running and he estimated it would take him seven hours to cover the distance. As he tried to soak up some energy to increase his pace, Merlin's voice sounded inside his head. "Eoric, are you sure this is a wise course of action? If Dalriada provides shelter to these princes, it will surely be seen as a threat by Redwald and Edwin. By doing this you might encourage the Saxons to attack us," the wizard said. "Merlin, sometimes the affairs of men are governed by simple things, by strong emotions. I am myself a father and the thought of these youngsters alone in the wilds strikes at something deep within me. I can't leave them to their fate, no matter what the consequences for Dalriada," he responded. Some hours later Eoric neared the foothills of the Pentlands and he let his senses quest ahead of him in search of the princes. He identified two youngsters and almost passed them by until he felt the despair leaking from them. He veered from the path he was on and honed in on them, sensing also their horses close by. Eoric found the two princes cuddled up to each other. Tear tracks showed on their dirty faces and they were shivering from being cold. He quickly built a fire and moved them close to it, wrapping his own plaid around them for extra warmth. Food was another necessity he thought, as he read the boy's minds and identified that they hadn't eaten for some time. Eoric quickly caught two brown trout in a nearby stream and soon had them cleaned and cooking over the fire. "My name is Eoric," he told the princes as he sat opposite them across the campfire. Both of them looked at him and the fear was evident in their eyes. "There is no need to worry, I will protect you," he added, "where is your brother?" The elder of the two found his voice and answered. "Eanfrith told us we were acting like babies and he wanted nothing more to do with us. I think he is trying to make his way to Gododdin where our mother's family live." "Are you Oswald or Oswui?" Eoric asked gently. "I am Prince Oswald!" the boy said with a little more strength. Both of the princes were eyeing the cooking fish hungrily and Eoric removed them from the fire and let them cool a little before allowing the boys to eat. The hot food and the heat from the fire did a lot to restore them, but the feelings of despair continued to dominate their thoughts. "Come, my brave princes. I cannot take you to Gododdin, as I would scarce be welcomed there, but I can take you to where we can put a roof over your head and food in your bellies," he said, trying to sound cheerful. Eoric walked over to the horses and connected with them, telling them to follow him as he ran. He picked up a prince under each arm and started running once more, back to Dunadd. He realised that he had left no word of where he was going and King Eochaid would undoubtedly be angry at the delay his absence would cause. He thought about Merlin's words too as he ran, how would Eochaid react to the presence of two Northumbrian princes in Dalriada? He stopped once on the journey to catch more fish and feed the boys once more. They eyed him curiously and at last Oswald found his voice and the courage to speak. "How is it that a man can run so fast, fast enough to leave horses in his wake? And how can you manage to carry both of us?" he asked. "It must be the fact that I ate all my porridge as a boy," Eoric replied with a smile. ------- It was mid-afternoon before Eoric arrived back at Dunadd. He found the King in a black mood over his disappearance and he chose to leave the two princes in the care of Fergus so they wouldn't be exposed to Eochaid's anger. "Where have you been, my Lord of Lorne?" Eochaid demanded, "I wanted to set sail for Ireland today and now your absence has delayed all." "I apologise, Sire. Matters sufficiently urgent required my attention," Eoric replied. "Nothing should be more urgent than carrying out your King's wishes, Sirrah! Mind it!" Eoric had used his time running to think of a way to try and get Eochaid to accept the two princes and now he chose his words carefully once more. "I believe I have been working in your cause, Sire, just in a different way to what you had planned for today," he offered. "How so man?" Eochaid asked. "I saw a picture of where the Northumbrian princes were, all alone and likely to perish in the wilds. It was clear to me that these princes will be important to Dalriada's future and I had to act quickly to ensure their safety," Eoric said. His words gave the impression that he had been shown the princes in a vision, but he hadn't actually said that, leaving the King instead to jump to that conclusion on his own. Eoric had determined that if Eochaid believed the princes had been linked to Dalriada's future in a vision, he would be much more likely to welcome and shelter them. Eochaid's anger began to ebb away, as he considered what Eoric had said. "How can they be of benefit to me?" he asked at last. "A King of Northumbria who is friendly towards Dalriada would make your kingdom far more secure, Sire," Eoric responded. Once more it was clear that Eochaid believed Eoric was foretelling the fact that one of these princes would go on to become the King of Northumbria rather than just indulging in conjecture. He stroked his chin thoughtfully now, as he weighed up the advantages and disadvantages. Eochaid knew all to well how dangerous it could be to offer the princes shelter when they had such a strong claim on Northumbria. Redwald and Edwin would see such a move as a threat to their own position and could well react by leading their forces north. It now became clear just how much store Eochaid set in Eoric's abilities and his visions. "Very well, Eoric. The princes can stay, but I've no time to play the nursemaid so you will need to look after them. That means that you won't be able to come with me to Ireland and I can't say I'm pleased about that. But, so be it. You'll need your own forces to provide protection in the event the Saxons decide to come north. Now, get out of my sight before I change my mind!" ------- Chapter 25 There was actually some grumbling among the Lorne men when they found out that they were no longer sailing to Ireland to fight the Ui Neill. These were hardy men who relished the opportunity to test their mettle against a worthy opponent. Eoric decided that his own abilities would be enough to safeguard the princes and advised Fergus to lead the men into the campaign after all. The boys' horses arrived at Dunadd before darkness, lathered in sweat from the continuous gallop they had maintained as they sought to follow Eoric's command. He took care of them personally, finding a blanket to wipe them down with and then dousing them with cool water. He used the two wooden buckets that had held the water to give each horse a treat in the form of grain to eat, talking to them both as he finished drying them off. Oswald and Oswui were still very nervous, perhaps more so now as they were in an alien environment. They had spent the evening with the Lorne army, all of whom could only speak gaelic and the fierce look of the Celts had the boys huddling together once more. Eoric tried to re-assure them that they were indeed now safe and his presence seemed to calm them a little. He didn't think the boys would be comfortable camping in the open with the Celts and the thought of taking them up to the hill-fort, where the main hall would no doubt be as riotous as always, also sounded like a bad move. Eoric decided that he would surprise his family by arriving back at Taynuilt unheralded. He spoke to the boy's horses once more, this time telling them to follow at a more leisurely pace, and advised Fergus that he was returning to the village. He wished his lieutenant and his men good fortune in their coming endeavours, then picked up one of the princes under each arm and started to run for home. He talked to the princes as he ran, describing his wives and the boys as well as telling them how secure the village was and how beautiful the surrounding scenery looked. The run took less than two hours, but when he arrived he found the gates closed and barred. The guards were alert however, and it didn't take him long to identify himself and gain entry. Eoric set the boys down and led them up the mountainside towards his own house. They stumbled a little in the darkness, but he held them by the hands and guided them up the stairs to the front door. A few red embers glowed in the fireplace of the main room and he sat the boys at the table while he banked the fire and then lit a small oil lamp to provide some light. A quick rummage in the kitchen yielded some stale bread and hard cheese and Eoric quickly sliced these and began toasting the bread over the now roaring fire. Once the toast was ready he placed some cheese on each slice and set them on the hearthstone to let it melt before then feeding the princes. His movement and the smell of the food must have woken his family, as the girls and the two boys all came shuffling into the room, rubbing sleep from their eyes. Megan shuffled along behind the others too and Eoric once more appreciated the sight of her, almost as good as Gemma and Sarah he thought, almost, but not quite. "Prince Oswald, Prince Oswui, can I introduce my family," he said. "Here is Princess Gemma, Sarah and my sons, Angus and Connall. Here also is the lovely Megan." A long hour of explanations followed, as Eoric told the story of how the princes came to be on their own and how he had found and rescued them. This was the first time Oswald and Oswui had heard how the Gruagach had player her part and their eyes grew large in amazement at the fact that a faery had helped to save them. The girls were delighted to have their man home, but that was tempered by the sadness they felt for the princes - to have lost their father and the life they knew and then to be abandoned by their older brother - their plight tugged at the girls' hearts. Maternal instincts kicked in and Gemma and Sarah were soon fussing over the pair, showering them with affection. Gemma had quickly learned some of the Saxon language from Sarah and the sound of their own tongue probably did more than anything to comfort the young lads. "Was there really a faery watching over us?" asked Oswald. "Indeed there was, Oswald. A wise old mother who couldn't bear to see you suffer any more. She is even faster at running than I am and she came to me and told me where to find you," answered Eoric. "How do they do that?" asked Oswui, speaking his first words since Eoric had found him. Eoric looked and could see Oswui was staring at the boys. He laughed as he guessed the boys had been projecting their thoughts into the young prince's head. "Don't worry Oswui, that's just their way of talking sometimes. You'll get used to it after a while," he projected to the prince. Sarah and Gemma realised what was going on and they scolded the boys and Eoric for indulging themselves. "It would be more polite if you all spoke out loud so that everyone could hear what you're saying!" they both complained. Eoric laughed out loud, as he knew the infants had yet to speak their first words. His laughter was choked off a second later when both Connall and Angus apologised to their mothers. "Sorry mummy Gemma, sorry mummy Sarah," they said together. "You can speak!" cried Eoric. "Of course we can speak, father. There just hasn't seemed to be a need before, but if it's considered impolite then we can get used to it," replied Angus, his brother nodding in agreement beside him. Sarah and Gemma were all smiles at the discovery that the boys could not only talk, but that their speech was as good as the princes who were considerably older. Everyone realised at the same time that they had spoken in Saxon too when Megan complained. "What is everyone saying?" she cried, the only one in the room who could only speak and understand gaelic. Eoric acted impulsively. He reached out to Megan and planted his own knowledge of the Saxon language inside her head. The young girl's eyes widened in surprise, as what everyone was saying suddenly became clear to her. "What just happened?" she asked, once more surprised when she found herself speaking the Saxon tongue. The boys laughed and Sarah and Gemma looked at Eoric accusingly. "What?" he cried, "I only helped her so that she didn't feel left out." The excitement of the past hour, added to the fact it was the middle of the night, eventually caught up with the princes and Sarah and Gemma busied themselves preparing a room for them to sleep in. They lit a fire and made up beds then insisted the princes wash before allowing them to retire for the rest of the night. Angus and Connall were ushered back to their beds then the girls took one of Eoric's arms each and guided him towards their bedchamber. Megan watched with a slight look of envy on her young features, but smiled widely when Eoric looked over his shoulder at her and winked. ------- Oswald and Oswui got their first real look at Ben Cruachan and Loch Etive the next morning. The construction of the Taynuilt village, with its high stone walls made it look like a sprawling castle and the young laddies scampered about the various structures with excitement. They quickly found sticks and pretended to be sword fencing, amazing Eoric with just how quickly they had shrugged off the despair of the day before. Sarah and Gemma were by now very close and they had shared details of how Eoric had first been sexual with them while invisible. Both decided that he should adopt a similar approach with Megan and that he should do so soon. Eoric was more than happy to comply, once more amazed but thankful for the girls' surprising attitude towards the young girl. He made sure to spend time with her during the day and once everyone had retired for the night he made his way to her bedchamber, urged on by Sarah and Gemma. He slipped in quietly and connected with Megan, pleased that she was already lying close to sleep and thinking about him. He sensed her arousal and made his way slowly over to the side of her pallet. "He's so handsome and Sarah and Gemma really love him. They can't keep their hands off of him and seem to really enjoy rutting with him. I wonder what it would be like to feel him playing with my titties and licking me down there? How would his staff feel inside me, hard and hot inside my little tunnel?" Eoric was aware that her sex was already lubricating as she let these thoughts excite her. He let her work herself up a little more and become increasingly drowsy before he started to work with her. "Mmmmm, I think I'd like to have him taste me, feel his strong hands stroking me. Mmmmmmm. He projected his thoughts into her head to help lift her arousal yet higher. "Would you like to feel my lips and tongue on your breasts, Megan? Would you like me to lick and suck your little nipples until they grow hard and you can feel the tingling between your legs?" Megan accepted his voice in her head as part of her near dream state. "Uhuh," she moaned, "please Eoric, lick my little titties, they feel so sore and need your tongue on them. Please Eoric, lick me." "If you want me to stroke you and kiss your beautiful breasts, angel, you need to pull your blanket down," Eoric projected. In that state in between waking and sleeping, Megan complied without conscious thought, pushing her blanket down to reveal her linen covered chest. Eoric knelt on the floor beside her and let his hands ever so gently graze over her breasts. Megan shivered slightly and a moan escaped her lips as she reacted to what she thought was her dream. "Please rub them, Eoric. I can feel your hands hold them and tweak my nipples. Mmmmmmm it feels so real. "Would you like me to push your shift up and kiss them now Megan? Do you want to feel my lips on your nipples?" "Please, yes, yes Eoric. Let me feel it." Eoric pulled her blanket all the way down and off of her legs then gently took hold of the linen shift and began to wriggle it up her body. His breath caught as her sparsely covered sex was exposed to his eyes and her musky aroma rose to fill his nose. Megan was dimly aware her shift was lifting and she unconsciously arched her back slightly to allow it to travel upward. He now had access to her bare breasts and he restrained himself, refusing to simply gorge himself on her young charms. Once more he let his fingers and palms graze over her small mounds before cupping them and softly moulding his hands round them. Megan's moans were now out loud, as her thighs parted, her knees bent and her hands slid between them. "Mmmmmmmm, oh Eoric, I can feel your hands on me, kiss me, suck my titties my darling," she murmured dreamily. He let his head fall forward and took one of her now hard nipples between his lips, teasing it and allowing his tongue to slide over it. Megan's back arched automatically, as she tried to feed her breast to him and get more contact, more of the wonderful sensations she was feeling. Eoric was stroking one breast while he let his teeth gently nip the nipple of the other. He felt Megan writhe beneath him and he raised his head and glanced down to see that she had her own hands between her spread thighs. As he watched, the young girl let her fingers smear her juices around her nether lips and rise to rub the stiff little nub of her clitoris. His connection told him that she was still on the verge of sleep and dreamily enjoying the feelings she was experiencing. He dropped his head, trailing kisses across her flat stomach and pushing her hands out of the way so he could taste her juices. "Megan, you need to feel my tongue licking your juicy sex now. You need it like you've needed nothing else before. Tell me how much you want me to suck your hard little nubbin." "Ahhhhhh, yes, that's what I want. Lick me, Eoric, use your tongue on me, let me feel it. Oh, I need it soooo badly," she murmured, as her head tossed to the side. Eoric tasted her and let his tongue burrow through her juicy sex lips and around her opening. He lapped at her sex and then circled her clit with his lips, sucking gently, as he swiped his tongue over it repeatedly. He felt Megan's hands grip his head and pull him in tighter to her sex. When he had her on the verge of her orgasm, he slid onto the bed and positioned himself between her legs. His connection told him that Megan came fully awake as his cock entered her, but there was no panic only frantic need. Eoric himself was feeling needy and he thrust forward into her, urgently. He lost all finesse, but he sensed she needed exactly what he was giving her, hard and fast strokes. "Yessssss, yeeessssssssssss!" she moaned louder now, "faster, harder my Lord. Don't spare me, I'm close." Eoric felt himself close too and he increased his speed yet further until both of them crashed over the top in a simultaneous climax. Megan lay panting beneath him for a few moments then reached her arms round him to pull him close. "Thank you, thank you, my Lord. What a nice way to wake up." They made love twice more, once during the night and once more in the morning with Megan squealing out her delight uninhibitedly each time. It was only as daylight began to creep in through the window that she seemed to regain her senses and realise that she was in bed with the Lord of Lorne while his wife and concubine were lying in the next room. Eoric felt her concern and moved quickly to reassure her. "Megan, I know you must be worrying about my wives, but it was their idea for me to come to you. Don't concern yourself, they will no doubt be waiting to hear all of the details my dear." Eoric was right and Gemma and Sarah were waiting to pull Megan away with them as soon as the pair emerged from the bedchamber. Megan was immediately in no doubt that Eoric was accurate in his assessment of the girls' response. ------- The princes were now clearly settled and Eoric felt his sense of duty nagging away at him. He discussed things with the girls and decided he would make the journey to Antrim to join King Eochaid. By doing so he hoped that he might avoid any lingering anger that the King felt about his last minute absence from the Dalriada army. He had also developed a deep sense of loyalty towards his own men of Lorne and wanted to be with them to share whatever they were going through. A two-hour run brought Eoric to the west coast and the pull of the sea. He didn't bother stripping off his clothes, but instead waded out and then dived forward into the water. The sword that he had forged himself was slung over his back and it made swimming slightly awkward so he paused briefly to move the weapon into his hand and then started out once more. Eoric's body undulated through the water as he picked up speed, his feet kicking powerfully. Incredibly, the swim to the shores of Antrim took him barely six hours and he emerged onto a beach feeling as refreshed as he had when he had started out. His sword was still in his hand and now it had two fish speared on it that he had caught along the way. He walked a little way inland to find some dead wood for a fire and cooked the fish while he dried out his clothing. ------- The next few months were frustrating and repetitive for all of the Dalriada force. It was almost as if the Ui Neill were in communication with the Picts for they were employing the same tactics, avoiding any major confrontation with Eochaid's forces, but also employing guerrilla tactics to strike where they could. Eoric's arrival at least turned the tide in terms of these raids, as he was able to sense the presence of the Ui Neill and warn the Celtic forces in advance so they were fully prepared. After four or five raids that ended in the Irish being ambushed, the strikes began to dry up very quickly. Eochaid had been delighted when Eoric had turned up; believing his talisman would somehow change the way things were going. As usual, Eochaid was impatient to bring things to a head, but the Irish were just not being obliging in that regard. Eoric's initial success in putting an end to the Irish raids was quickly forgotten as the King's inactivity made him increasingly bad tempered. "Why can't you simply go out for one of your night runs and find where they are so I can bring them to battle?" he asked Eoric. "Sire, I have run every night for the last seven and have found plenty of the Ui Neill. The problem is they are scattered and are constantly on the move. It is clear that they have no wish to test themselves against you in a full-scale fight. Your reputation precedes you," Eoric responded. After fully three months of chasing shadows and running short on food, Eochaid gave the orders for the army to return to Dalriada. Before leaving Antrim he called the army together and before them proclaimed Connad Cerr as sub-King of Dalriada, with rule over Antrim. Eoric smiled, as he knew this would mean Connad would have to remain in Ireland with his men. He made sure to board a separate boat to Eochaid for the voyage back to Crinan so that he could avoid the King's foul mood. ------- After the harvest was gathered in Eochaid called on King Beli of Strathclyde to join Dalriada for another attempt at defeating the Picts in Atholl and the northeast. Eoric led his contingent of men from Lorne, but the result was an autumn very much like the spring and summer had been in Antrim. It was another two months of marching in criss-cross patterns through the highlands without any major conflict taking place. That year, 616AD set the pattern for the next five years, with Eochaid trying in vain to bring his enemies to battle in both Ireland and in the highlands. Eoric and his family prospered during these years and he became a father again when Megan gave birth to a baby girl who they called Isla. He had turned off his fertility after Sarah and Gemma had given birth as he thought looking after the boys and the two princes was enough work for anyone. He had relented however, when Megan had indicated she badly wanted to have a child. Surprisingly, Isla had no faery talents. Angus and Connall continued to thrive and Merlin's words proved to be prophetic as they were always up to mischief, like a pair of Bauchailleen indeed, but without the red hats. Eoric explored and experimented with his abilities under Merlin's guidance. He was able to eventually cast a spell over Taynuilt that would not allow anyone with evil intent to enter the village. He knew he would have much more peace of mind when he was away with the King, knowing that his family and the villagers would be safe As the year 621AD was coming to an end, there was another, unlooked for visitor to their family in the shape of Oswald and Oswui's sister, Aebbe. Aebbe had arrived at Taynuilt with an escort of King Eochaid's men and a message advising Eoric that she was now his responsibility also. Her arrival brought a tearful reunion with her brothers and once they had managed to calm down she shared her story with them all. The princess told how she had left her home in Gododdin (modern day Lothian and Scottish Borders) after King Edwin and his Saxons had invaded. She explained that she had had repeated fall-outs with her brother Eanfrith. He had arrived following the death of his father at the battle of the River Idle and Aebbe told them he had married a Pictish princess, gaining some power in the process. Eanfrith already had a son of his own, Talorcan he was named. When King Edwin and his army drew closer to Dun Eidyn (modern day Edinburgh), Eanfrith had bolted with his family further north into Pictish territory. He had literally abandoned his sister and she had travelled to Dalriada looking for shelter. She had chosen Dalriada, as it was now her plan to enter the church and devote herself to that. She had met monks from Iona and that was where she hoped to go now. Aebbe explained the shock she had received when she had arrived at Dunadd and sought an audience with King Eochaid. "He told me Oswald and Oswui were already here I cried with joy, for I believed them dead. Eanfrith claimed they were lost at the same time as my father in the battle at the River Idle," she said. Despite finding her two younger brothers alive and well, Aebbe was still determined to devote herself to the church. Eoric prevailed upon her to remain with them over the winter months - for the sake of the princes if nothing else. He promised that he would arrange transportation for her to Iona in due course, as he now had several boats of his own berthed at Taynuilt. So it was, in the spring of 622AD, the princes were standing on the Taynuilt jetty, waving goodbye to their sister as she set out for Iona. The boat had barely disappeared when a group of riders appeared hurrying towards the village. These were messengers from the King with orders for Eoric to raise his men for battle once more. It seemed that the young King Edwin had not been content with invading Lothian, he had also invaded Strathclyde. The news was dire. King Beli was dead and his cousin; Neithon was now King of Strathclyde, at least in name. Neithon had called for Eochaid's assistance to win back his kingdom from the Saxons. Eochaid at last saw an opportunity for battle after years of the fruitless pursuit of the Irish and the Picts and he was keen to strike quickly. Eoric was once again begged by all four of the boys to be allowed to ride with him. Angus and Connall were only six and there was no way he would think of taking them. Oswui, at eleven was still far too young he thought, but Oswald at thirteen was perhaps old enough. In the end he decided that the other three would never let him hear the end of it if he took only Oswald so he remained firm and told them all to remain at home to look after Taynuilt for him. Three days later he had managed to raise five hundred men and they marched for Strathclyde. Their route this time didn't take them via Dunadd as that would have actually added to their journey. Instead, they headed through the Pass of Brander and along Glen Lochy and Strath Fillan, meeting King Eochaid and his men where Strath Fillan and Glen Falloch met. This part of their journey took a day and a half and they had to wait several hours before Eochaid and his men appeared. The King had only six hundred men with him and he explained to Eoric that Domnall Brec had taken a further six hundred with him the week before on another attempt to bring the Ui Neill to battle in Antrim. Eoric thought they risked being outnumbered, but the King explained that Connad Cerr happened to be in his own lands of Cowall and he was due to meet them at the foot of Loch Lomond so they could launch a joint assault on the Saxons. Four more days of marching took them through Glen Dochart then Glen Ogle and past Loch Katrine, Loch Ard and finally round the foot of Loch Lomond. Here they found Connad Cerr already waiting with another five hundred men, bringing the full force up to sixteen hundred, still not the biggest army that Eoric had ever marched with. He was able to sense the concentration of men around Dunbarton and already his nausea was starting to grow. His estimate was that the two sides would be reasonably evenly matched, but he had passed this way before and he knew what a stronghold Dunbarton was. So far there had been no sign of the new King of Strathclyde or any of his men and Eochaid was not to be held back from launching an attack immediately. They marched forward onto the flat fields that lay around Dunbarton and Eochaid cried out with surprise when the Saxons began to spill out of the hill-fort and down onto the level to meet them. "By god, they throw away all advantage! Are they that desperate to fight that they would give up such a strong strategic position? Whatever the reason, I for one am happy to oblige them, DALRIADA!" he screamed as he urged his horse forward. That quickly, battle was joined. Eochaid's Lords and chiefs had to kick their mounts furiously to try and keep up with him. The infantry now showed just how fit they were by running alongside the horses, hanging onto the stirrups to gain some additional momentum. The Saxon's had not all reached the level by the time Eochaid and his men crashed into their front ranks as his charge had been so quickly mounted. The King and the other fifty or so horsed men cut through the Saxons easily, the enemy ranks opening wherever possible to let the horses through. The Dalriada infantry exploited these gaps by surrounding the pockets of men they created and soon Saxons were falling all around, set upon from all sides. The fifty horse struggled to turn themselves round to repeat their charge. By the time they were marshalled, Eochaid could see they were as like to ride down his own men as the Saxons due to the way the two forces were now engaging each other. He pointed his sword in the direction of the last Saxons running down the hill and the horses swept forward to mop these unfortunates up. Perhaps Eochaid's mood had been caught by the Dalriada army during their march or more likely the men felt just as frustrated as he did over their inactivity for the past few years. Whatever the reason, the Scots were like men possessed as they hacked and slashed at the Saxons. The sheer violence felt like a tangible thing to Eoric who had quickly fallen off of his horse and begun vomiting into the grass. Very quickly there was a noticeable drift southwards as the Saxons had clearly decided they were overmatched and tried to find an avenue of escape. When King Neithon and a further three hundred Celts appeared on the plain, screaming their own slogans, it proved too much and the Saxons broke. Eochaid had marshalled his horse once more and had them sitting patiently waiting for just this opportunity. As the Saxons disengaged and began streaming southwards, he levelled his sword at them and screamed at his mounted followers to charge them. The fifty cavalry began to cut through the running Saxons like a scythe through wheat. Some of them changed direction, veering to their right to throw themselves in the broad expanse of the River Clyde. Most were cut down ruthlessly as Eochaid assuaged his blood-thirst to the full. ------- Chapter 26 The return to Dunadd was made in good spirits following the defeat of the Saxons. King Neithon was grateful to Eochaid that he could once more dine in his own hall and Eoric sensed the alliance between Dalriada and Strathclyde had if anything been strengthened further. He had recovered somewhat from his reaction to the death and carnage at Dunbarton, but the feeling of the blood seeping into the earth had not fully left him as yet. Eochaid's mood brightened even further if that was possible when they found Domnall Brec waiting for them at Dunadd. Before the King could speak of the victory over the Saxons, Domnall had launched into an account of a victory of his own in Ireland. "Our sweetening of the Clan Cholmáin at last bore fruit, Sire," he explained, "a messenger arrived just after I had landed with our Dalriada men, a messenger from Connal Guthbind mac Suibne." "Hah! So, the Irish turn on each other," Eochaid exclaimed. "Yes, Sire. The message advised that the Ui Neill planned a meeting to discuss their plans for the coming summer and that a hurried advance could catch them unprepared. I was wary of treachery and a possible trap, but the opportunity to at last bring the Irish to battle was too good to miss. I led our men west and my scouts reported mac Suibne had over four hundred men ready to join me. "With our Dalriada levies and our own Antrim force, I had a combined army of nearly two thousand. The Ui Neill were gathering at a place called Cebb Delgthan (in modern day Meath) and we fell upon them before ever they knew we were there. "They fought well, particularly the chiefs, but I tore the Ui Neill standard from its pole and shredded it before their eyes and the spirit went out of them. From then on it wasn't a battle, more mac Suibne and his hounds savaging their countrymen," Domnall ended. "How many Ui Neill dead, Domnall?" asked the King. "Enough, Sire. They will not be a force to be reckoned with for some time. I've spent the last week scouring the country to find whatever pockets of the survivors I could to consolidate the victory," Domnall replied. This was what Eochaid wanted to hear. Having shattered their leadership it was important to follow that up by ensuring the Ui Neill were dealt a significant blow so they couldn't re-group. The King now put his arm around his son's shoulders and happily led him up to the hall to continue his tale. He glanced at Eoric, flashing him a smile to indicate he recognised the details of his vision in Domnall's account of the battle. It had been just as Eoric had predicted, right down to Domnall shredding the Ui Neill banner. ------- Eoric was keen to return to Taynuilt as quickly as possible but the King had started to drink in celebration and he demanded Eoric attend on him. "Show us some of your tricks Eoric, entertain us with a vision my young friend," said Eochaid. Eoric shrunk in upon himself, embarrassed at the King's attempt to turn him into some kind of court jester. He began to realise just how others saw him - some kind of freak, a curio. It was not a pleasant realisation and he was immediately deeply depressed. He asked Eochaid for permission to return to Taynuilt and the King gave him leave to do so, disappointed that he was not providing entertainment. Once again he left Fergus to lead the men home and he set out at the run on his own. Spring had only just begun and already Dalriada was celebrating two significant victories, but Eoric was in a glum mood. His growing family was delighted by his early and safe return and Eoric received warm hugs from the three girls and cheerful messages inside his head from Connall and Angus. The two Saxon princes were more reserved, just smiling broadly, as Eoric swooped to pick up little Isla, twirling her round and round until she squealed. ------- The next month was one of hard work for the people of Lorne as they prepared the land so they could plant their crops for the year. Despite his dark mood, Eoric had insisted the two princes and his own two sons should begin training in the use of weapons and they now had several hours a day with pike, sword and spear. The weapons were all miniature versions of the deadly adult sized ones and Fergus worked the young boys hard in their use. Eoric was also determined not to let the princes forget their own rightful heritage and the family regularly spoke in the Saxon tongue to keep the language alive for Oswald and Oswui. He also made sure that the travelling monks shared every scrap of information they gathered about the state of life in Northumbria, impressing upon the princes the importance of their birthright. It was during one of his talks with the monks at Taynuilt that he was told a strange tale. The churchmen informed him that Edwin had abandoned his conversion to Christianity and reverted to paganism. This reversal had brought with it a sudden increase in the influence of the druids in Northumbria and the monks even claimed there were rumours of human sacrifices. King Edwin also made no secret of the fact that he coveted the lands to his north and Eoric knew that the defeat at Dunbarton would only have fuelled the Saxon's desire to invade yet further. The monks informed him that Edwin's chief advisor now seemed to be a senior druid who was called Aseree, a woman who had no love for the Celts if the stories were to be believed. The churchmen shared a number of rumours about the practices of this Aseree, most of which would have been beyond belief for anyone other than Eoric who of course could do many strange things himself. "I have heard that she can call down fire from the very skies, my Lord," said one churchman, "it is said that she did this when the Saxons attacked the Picts in Lothian. Many men are said to have perished under a hellish, fiery rain." "Aye, and there's more, my Lord," said another monk. "It is rumoured that the druid was also with King Edwin at the battle on the River Idle when Aethelfrith was defeated and that she put a curse on Aethelfrith's men that day. Men were scared of their own shadows and fled in the face of Edwin's army." Eoric knew this last was not true as both Oswald and Oswui had been present at that battle and he himself had witnessed the fighting in a vision. He assumed that the druid was resorting to what many of her kind did - starting rumours about herself to gain a reputation and to further her own ends. So long as this Aseree had no designs on Dalriada Eoric was content to simply ignore what he heard about her as being rumour and fabrication. ------- Another area that was taking up an increasing amount of Eoric's time was the exploration of the otherworldly talents that he had inherited. Merlin's presence inside him resulted in frequent reminders that he had yet to test himself fully in many areas. The voice of the old wizard nagged at him to begin to try and exercise his mind, particularly in relation to the spells and lore that seemed to come to him on demand. "Eoric, everytime you need a spell or a cure it comes to you unbidden. You also told me that the faeries indicated you had access to all the lore of the winds, the earth and the creatures who live upon it. You have been able to fly when in desperate need and have performed other miraculous deeds. That suggests to me that there is vast potential within you, as yet untapped. I implore you to devote more of your time to trying to connect with this store of knowledge and these other skills." Eoric could see the wisdom in this and recognised he also had responsibilities to those around him to make the most of the gifts that he had been given. So he started a regular training regime for himself. While the boys joined Fergus for their weapons training, Eoric ran high up onto the peaks of Cruachan, out of the sight of others. At first his progress was very slow and he even found it difficult to repeat some of the things he had already done. He tried in vain to bring the cloud base down around the summit of Ben Cruachan and his attempts at flying would have looked comical to anyone who stumbled upon him. "I think the problem is you're focusing too much, Eoric. Try not thinking about it all and just doing it, when you have been under stress or in trouble it's just happened for you," came Merlin's voice. After a frustrating week where he spent two hours every morning trying to clear his mind of everything, he was at last rewarded when he opened his eyes to find the thick fog of the clouds surrounding him on the mountaintop. He was so elated that, without thinking, he leapt into the air and quickly found himself flying above the clouds, looking down at Cruachan's summit. Thereafter Eoric's progress was much swifter and Merlin was delighted at the spells and feats he began to perform. The continuing practice was undoubtedly adding strength to Eoric's abilities and raising the level of what he could achieve. Unfortunately he also realised that the greater his abilities, the more of a curio he would become for others and that made his depression deepen. ------- Eoric's progress coincided with a number of sinister and terrifying incidents in the Taynuilt village. The first involved the prized communal bath and washhouse that Eoric had built. On this particular day it was the men's turn to have free rein of the baths and Eoric was brought running when he heard agonised screaming coming from it. When he arrived he found dire ruin, with several men writhing around outside the baths, their naked skin blistered and burnt. Eoric was told that the water in the baths had suddenly begun to boil, literally roasting the men alive. He quickly set about tending to the injured, bolstering his own powers by leeching energy from the rock under his feet. His ministrations saved all but two of the villagers, but their loss hit Eoric hard. On top of his distress and depression at how his abilities set him apart from others, Eoric couldn't stop himself thinking he was somehow to blame for the deaths. The remainder of the villagers also now looked on the bathhouse and Eoric with deep suspicion. No explanation could be found for the water suddenly reaching the temperatures it had. A joint funeral was held for the dead men the next day and Eoric felt the weight of responsibility heavy on his shoulders as the monks led the service and lowered the bodies into the ground. He had examined the bathhouse and had found no rational explanation for what had happened. He also mentally explored the wards he had cast over the village to protect it from evil magic and to prevent any with malicious intent from entering. So far as he could see the wards were undamaged and as effective as when he had first cast them. The second incident happened barely a week after the first. Three of the Taynuilt womenfolk were walking round the inside perimeter of the village when a section of the stone wall collapsed, crushing and burying them all under an immense weight of rocks. Once again Eoric was in the village and reacted to the incident quickly, using his enhanced strength to effortlessly clear the rubble and pull the women clear. His efforts were to no avail however, as all three women were lifeless, their breath cruelly squeezed from their bodies by the rockfall. Again Eoric could find no simple explanation for the tragedy and he fretted as he watched a superstitious dread begin to settle over the remaining villagers. Another funeral was held and Eoric could see the villagers eyeing him nervously as if he was somehow at the root of the two fatal incidents. He questioned his inner voice and Merlin, but they were as stumped by the 'accidents' as he was. His depression deepened and the girls noticed. ------- On the afternoon of the day following the second funeral Eoric was returning from a tour of the various projects he had underway around Taynuilt when he suddenly felt an excruciating pain inside his head. He collapsed onto his knees, raising his hands to clutch at his temples and a silent scream escaped his lips. He rolled onto his side and writhed on the ground before lapsing into unconsciousness. Some of the villagers witnessed his collapse and ran to alert the girls. Gemma, Sarah and Megan came running to where Eoric lay and shouted for others to help them carry Eoric up to the house. He was laid out on the bed they shared and the girls ushered the villagers out as they rushed around trying to find out what was wrong with their lord and husband. When they stripped away his clothes they were appalled at the heat coming from his body, a sweltering heat, surely hot enough to flay the skin from him. They immediately began to bathe him with cool water, taking turns at fetching fresh cloths. Inside Eoric a battle was raging. When his body had been suddenly attacked, that part of him that was human immediately shut down and his inner faery self had to take over. The faeries were fighting to stop the pressure building up inside Eoric's head, a pressure that threatened to make his very skull explode. They were frantically drawing energy into Eoric's body from their surroundings but the more they drew, the stronger the force pitted against them seemed to become. They tried and they tried to push the force back from his mind, but its progress was relentless and the faeries despaired for Eoric's life. "Cease this folly! Can you not see what is happening?" Merlin tried to communicate with the faeries. "You have him fighting against himself! The power and energy you are drawing up is the very energy that is slowly killing him. Cease your struggles I say!" The urgency and command in the old wizard's voice reached the faeries, but they couldn't believe what he was telling them and the very idea of ending their resistance of the powerful source attacking Eoric was out of the question. If they gave in they knew he would surely die and do so quickly. "Fools! There is a loop at work. The more power you use to push, the stronger the force against you becomes. If you don't believe me just try and ease up a little and see what happens," Merlin pleaded. Tentatively the faeries did as Merlin suggested and allowed the force they were using to relax, but only fractionally. They were amazed to immediately feel a corresponding reduction in the energy pushing against them. The truth of what Merlin was saying now registered fully with them and they began to gradually reduce the amount of energy they were exerting, feeling relief as the pressure inside Eoric's head began to drop. When they stopped fighting altogether the energy disappeared leaving a different sensation for them all to feel. The girls noticed Eoric's body lose its fierce heat and wrongly assumed their bathing had counteracted or broken whatever fever had gripped him. They were unaware of the struggle that had been taking place inside of him, a struggle that had in fact been responsible for his alarmingly raised temperature. They remained very anxious as they watched Eoric's head whip from side to side in his hands. It was clear that he was still in great pain and they had no idea what else they could do for him. Inside Eoric the faeries and Merlin were now aware of the dark magic that must have been the source of the initial attack on him. They sensed two magical black hands, their long, slender fingers surrounding Eoric's brain inside his skull, squeezing it hard. The faeries could find no mental blocks in place yet they couldn't connect with Eoric's thoughts in order to help him fight this latest menace. The pressure of the hands was inexorable and the faeries and Merlin quailed as they felt Eoric's vital organs beginning to shut down as he slipped away from them. Merlin identified an almost invisible tendril of inky blackness leaking out of Eoric's head and, in a last desperate attempt to save his young friend; he launched his essence out of Eoric's body and followed the tendril towards its source. The wizard was stunned when the trail led to the bedroom shared by Angus and Connall. He swooped into the room and eyed the tendril of evil as it emerged from beneath the blankets on the boys' bed. The large lumps made it clear the boys themselves were under the bedclothes and Merlin could feel a massive build up of raw energy in the room. With a flick of his ghostly hand, Merlin removed the blankets to reveal Angus and Connall lying facing each other. Their eyes were glassy and staring and each of them held one hand to a glass ball that lay between them. Merlin recognised the ball as the one Eoric had picked up when they had left Nimue's cave after the death of the witch. He could now see that both of the boys were using the powers inherited from their father to soak up energy from their surroundings and they were feeding all of it directly into the glass sphere. This energy was being used to feed whatever spell was at work squeezing the life out of the young Lord of Lorne. The wizard could vaguely make out the shape of a woman's face deep within the glass and he realised that somehow Nimue was continuing to exert her evil influence from beyond the grave. Merlin knew he had no time for further thought, he had to act now before Eoric's body closed itself down permanently. He could not even pause to consider the effect of what he was about to do on the two boys. He focussed himself and then hurled his essence at the glass ball. The collision was spectacular. A fiery orange burst of energy engulfed the room momentarily and the glass ball was completely consumed by it. A final, haunting cry of triumph from Merlin echoed round the room as the old wizard's spirit expended itself fully in his effort to save Eoric. The boys were left lying on the bed unharmed, but their eyes were still blank and dull, staring into the middle distance. With the destruction of the glass ball the black tendril that marked the evil spell disappeared and inside Eoric the faeries were busily trying to help the young lord. While Eoric was no longer under attack, he was still in real danger as the brain tissue threatened to swell within the tight cavity of his skull as a result of the brutal treatment it had been subjected to. As well as feeding energy to Eoric to help revive him, the faeries were now soothing his brain and easing the swelling. The girls were ignorant of everything that had been going on and only saw that Eoric had stopped thrashing around on the bed. His features were now relaxed and at peace and they breathed a collective sigh of relief, smiling tiredly at each other. ------- It took the remainder of the day and all through the night before the faeries work to help Eoric recover was completed. His eyes flickered open and he took in the sight of Gemma slumped over the side of the bed asleep. It was clear she had been watching over him as he slept. "What happened?" he asked his inner self. "We are not exactly sure ourselves. Something attacked you, something evil that had access to almost unlimited energy and we couldn't overcome it. Merlin guided us at first and then he left to try and discover the source of the evil. We sensed him find Angus and Connall with the glass ball you took from Nimue's cave and then both Merlin and the ball were gone, beyond our ability to sense them. When they disappeared, the attack on you stopped and we were able to begin to repair the damage it had caused." "What do you mean Merlin has gone beyond your ability to sense him?" Eoric asked. "We think he sacrificed his spirit in one final act to try and save you Eoric. There was powerful evil magic coming from the glass ball and it was using the boys to draw energy from Mother Nature. Merlin must have known it would take everything he could give to overcome it." Eoric groaned at the loss of the old wizard. He still felt weak but now that he was conscious it was a simple matter to soak up some energy from his surroundings to fully restore himself and he sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. His movement woke Gemma and she sat up, a relived smile was quickly replaced by worried look on her face. "Thank goodness you are back with us my Lord. We have dire need of your healing abilities as something has happened to Connall and Angus," she said. Eoric stood and quickly made his way to the boys' bedroom. Sarah and Megan were huddled round the bed and the boys were lying there still, their eyes staring blankly. Eoric reached out with his mind in an effort to connect with the boys and find out what was wrong with them. He sensed the presence of another inside their heads, another whose essence flitted from place to place in the boys' mind, eluding his efforts to pin it down. Eoric guessed the boys were being controlled by someone else, someone who had used the glass ball to ensnare them. He gave up his vain attempts to capture the essence inside the boys' heads and instead focussed on trying to identify where it was projecting itself from. He could sense its presence and he mentally followed its trail out of the village and down the breeze. At last even his powers were not sufficient to range far enough to reach the source and he told the girls to prepare the boys for a journey. Eoric ran in front of the girls who were on horseback, Angus and Connall held in front of Gemma and Sarah as they headed southwards out of Taynuilt. Darkness was beginning to fall when they reached the standing stones at Kilmartin. "Support the boys and whatever happens don't enter the circle," Eoric stressed to the girls as he strode forward. The hair on his neck and along his arms was already standing up as he once more felt the incredible reservoir of power inside the standing stone circle. He allowed the energy to begin to flow into him as he made his way to the exact centre of the ring and let his senses reach out. He connected with the trail of whatever or whoever was controlling the boys and tried again to trace its source. The additional energy from the circle helped him range further and he mentally crossed over the border and quickly down through Northumbria. At last Eoric's senses focussed on a room within the royal fort of Edwin, King of the Northumbrian Saxons. He was aware of a figure huddled over another glass ball and things became clear to him. He hadn't realised when he had taken Nimue's glass ball from her cave that there was another one to make a pair. He now realised that Nimue had used the balls to communicate with Aethelfrith and when Merlin had killed her physical body she had somehow managed to use the balls to help her spirit escape the cave. While the figure in the room looked nothing like Nimue, the aura that emanated from the body told Eoric that it was indeed her essence that sat before him. He remembered the tales the monks had told him about Edwin's magical druid called Aseree and knew that Nimue and Aseree were one and the same. She was using the second of her glass balls to focus her efforts to control the boys and Eoric felt his rage building up within him. Like it had the first time he had entered the standing stone circle, the energy was threatening to completely overwhelm Eoric and his inner voice was shouting at him, warning him he had to resist the surge. Eoric ignored the voice and opened himself fully to the unbridled power of nature in all her glory. He felt it gather like a ball of white hot metal in the pit of his stomach and begin to spread through his entire body until he burst upwards, his essence merged with that of the faeries and the remnants of the meteor that they had saved him from. A calmness came over him at this point and he realised the truth of the things that had depressed him and the horror his sons faced growing up as two more curios. He knew how to resolve all of their problems. The girls shrieked loudly as they saw a fiery comet explode from Eoric's body and rocket upward into the night sky. Eoric's elemental form took only moments to travel the distance between Kilmartin and Deira and Nimue had only a fraction of a second to sense his approach. The comet struck the stone wall of the fort and passed through it as if it wasn't there. Nimue's body and her spirit were consumed in an instant and Eoric's last thought was one of grim satisfaction that he had rid the world of her evil and in the process saved himself and the boys the pain of being so different. His essence shattered at the same time as the second glass ball disintegrated on impact with him. Despite his death, the force and energy generated by his elemental form ploughed onwards through the fort, destroying it completely, before blasting a channel downwards several miles into the earth itself. After just over two miles there was nothing left of either Eoric, the faeries or any other matter. Within the standing stone circle at Kilmartin, Eoric's physical body collapsed in a heap as though all the bones had suddenly been removed from it. The girls shrieked once more and this time Angus and Connall joined them. All five tried to rush forward into the stone ring but found they were unable to pass its perimeter. They cried as they stared at the crumpled body, the girls realising that the boys had recovered and hugging them tightly. They shrank back slightly as they sensed others around them and slowly, out of the inky black night; a procession of different faeries emerged and entered the circle. There was a mixture of Gruagach, Uruisge, Ghillie Dhu, Bauchailleen and Heather Pixies. The pixies glowed, giving off a soft light, just enough to let the five humans take in what was going on at the centre of the ring. The faeries gathered round Eoric's body until the girls, Angus and Connall lost sight of him. A spine tingling lament began to rise up from the assembled magical beings and as they watched, eight Heather Pixies rose up on their golden wings bearing Eoric's body between them. "Stop!" cried Gemma, "you cannot have him, we need him." A solitary Gruagach emerged from the circle and stood in front of them. "He is truly one of us now and we have to take care of his remains. Please understand, if we left him to have a simple human burial his soul would never be at rest. Take comfort from the fact that in time he will return to watch over you all." With that, the Gruagach turned and rejoined the crowd of sixty or so faeries that was now slowly following the Heather Pixies and Eoric's body out of the standing stones and off into the night. "Mother, why can't I talk to Connall inside my head anymore?" Angus asked. "I can't do it either," said Connall. The mothers hugged their boys yet more tightly as they came to realise that their ordeal and the events within the circle of stones seemed to have stripped them of the magical abilities they had inherited from their father. A look passed between Gemma and Sarah, a look almost of relief. It seemed as if the idea that their children would now be completely normal wasn't a disappointment to them. "I think that must be your father's last gift to you both," said Gemma, "given his own experience, he realised how difficult life would be for you and couldn't see you suffer all of your days." The five turned and made their way back to the horses and began the long journey back to Taynuilt. HISTORICAL NOTE As with some of my other 'historical' stories many of the characters in After the King are in fact real characters from Scotland's history. There really was a King Eochaid Buide and he survived and ruled in Dalriada until 629 AD. His son was real too and Domnall Brecc succeeded his father to the throne. As Eoric's vision predicted, Domnall was only ever victorious in battle once, when he defeated the Ui Neill. He was defeated at the battle of Caladrois in 635 AD, suffered a dramatic loss at the battle of Mag Rath in Ireland in 637 AD and was beaten again at the battle of Glen Morriston in 638 AD. A most unfortunate monarch indeed. Aethelfrith, Edwin and the Welsh kings are also real. The princes Oswald and Oswui are real characters from this period in history. Domnall lent them an army of Celts to help Oswald reclaim the Kingdom of Northumbria in 634 AD and spread Christianity throughout his kingdom with the help of the monks from Iona. The young and victorious Celt that featured in Eoric's visions was of course King Kenneth Mac Alpin, the man most credit with the foundation of Scotland as a nation. ------- The End ------- Posted: 2007-06-16 Last Modified: 2011-12-22 / 08:30:02 am ------- http://storiesonline.net/ -------