| |
The group at the lakeside woke later than usual, but it was still earlier than Beansprout would ever rise at home. The first thing she did after waking was feel her arm, where the spear had punctured it. It was healing quickly now, and had begun to itch. It would surely leave a scar. She smiled; she had a battle wound.
As she rolled onto her back, Beansprout saw the blue sky above her, pale like a duck egg. Eager to start the day, she sat up, clutching the blanket around her shoulders, and faced the wall of mist stretched across the lake. Her grandfather and Fahey were still dozing, but someone had added wood to the fire, and it blazed brightly. A kettle hung above it, steam seeping from its spout. She smiled with contentment. She could get used to this. It was so freeing to be lying on the lakeshore beside a fire. She felt she could do anything, go anywhere. Anything she needed, she had with her.
Before they’d gone to sleep last night, Fahey had told them one of his stories—to help them relax, he’d said. He told a tale about an ancient king who outwitted a forest goblin. It was very funny, particularly as he paced around the fire, acting out the parts. Beansprout presumed he was trying to make them feel brave, and it sort of worked.
She grabbed her dirty cup from beside her and walked over to the lake to swill it, before refilling it with sweet herb tea. Sitting down again she looked around for Brenna and Woodsmoke. She presumed Brenna was flying, but where was Woodsmoke? She swivelled to look back over the moor. Grasses and heathers rippled all the way to the horizon, a blackish-green line where the wood began. To the north was the Old Forest, otherwise known as Aeriken Forest. She rolled the name around her tongue, and tried to imagine what mysteries it contained. Woodsmoke had told her it was the home and hunting grounds of the Aerikeen, and that some of the Realm of the Earth’s stranger creatures lived there.
Although there was no sign of Prince Finnlugh approaching, a figure bobbed over to the left. It was Woodsmoke, emerging from one of the hollows.
“I think we should move,” he said as he sat down next to her. “The hollow over there is broad and deep, sheltered from the wind, and more importantly will give us cover from unwelcome attention.”
“Do you really think we’re in danger?”
“I don’t know, but I’d rather we at least try and hide.”
“Wouldn’t we be better off heading back to the Tor? At least then we’d be high, and able to defend ourselves.”
Woodsmoke shook his head. “It would take too long. And what if Tom arrives back here and finds he’s alone, without help?”
“He’d better not be on his own!” Beansprout said, frowning.
“Even if he’s with the King, we can’t leave him here.”
“No, I know. It was just a suggestion. But, what if they surround us—around the hollow?” Beansprout was excited about meeting Prince Finnlugh, but the closer he became, the more nervous she was.
“They’re more likely to head for the shore. We can retreat back across the moor.”
“But you said they’re too fast!”
He looked at her, exasperated. “Stop being argumentative. We’re in a very difficult situation!”
“Sorry.” She looked sheepish. “Just trying to help.”
“If you two have finished bickering, I would like to agree with Woodsmoke,” Jack said, stirring from his blankets. “Let’s head for the hollow. I feel a bit exposed here.”
They ate breakfast and then packed up, quickly setting up camp in their new spot. Brenna returned at midday and joined them around the fire.
“The Prince and his company are nearly halfway across the moor,” she told them as she helped herself to a drink.
Beansprout gasped. “They move so quickly! It took us days to travel that far.”
“They have a far greater magic than we ever will,” Woodsmoke said, “and their horses are swifter and more powerful. They’re bred from an ancient line of magical beasts.”
“It is said that one of the royal line came with his followers to this lakeshore, millennia ago, to raise a new house,” Fahey said thoughtfully. “He wanted to solve the mystery of the lake and reach the Isle of Avalon. But not even he was strong enough to do that.”
“Why, what happened to him?” Jack asked.
“He disappeared and was never seen again. His cries echoed through the halls day and night, and many perished trying to find him. They abandoned the place in the end. No one could stand it there.”
“Where was it?”
He nodded downwards. “Somewhere beneath our feet!”
Beansprout looked uncomfortably at the ground below them.
Brenna downed her tea, and stood up. “I’m going to remain out there, as a bird, perched on the standing stones. I can keep watch for them—and for Tom.” She flitted out of the hollow, not waiting for a response.
“I’ve changed my mind,” grumbled Fahey. “I don’t like hiding here. It makes me feel like a coward. And I can’t see what’s going on.”
Woodsmoke gave him a long, impatient look. “We are not hiding like cowards! We are trying to protect ourselves from attack, old man. Are you going to produce a sword from under that cloak?”
He bristled with resentment. “That’s unfair and you know it.”
“Apart from your skill with words, have you anything that could protect us?”
“I might know a few charms that could make us invisible, a protection from unwanted eyes.” He looked sly, as if he was doing things he shouldn’t.
“Good, do it.”
The light was falling and long shadows stretched over the ground when Brenna returned. They were sitting at the base of the hollow, a bright fire burning merrily, eating a supper of stewed rabbit that filled the air with a rich, warm smell, and Beansprout reflected on what a good idea it had been to move. It was so much warmer out of the moorland wind, and it felt safer somehow.
Fahey filled a bowl with food and passed it to Brenna, asking, “What’s the news?”
“Not much. Apart from Prince Finnlugh’s advance, nothing else is going on out there.”
Woodsmoke sighed. “I don’t think Tom will appear tonight. I had hoped we’d be out of here before Prince Finnlugh arrived, but now...”
“I just hope he’s safe,” Jack said, worry etched across his face.
Beansprout adjusted the blanket across her shoulders and, turning to Fahey, said, “Maybe to pass the time and stop us from worrying, you should tell us another tale.”
He smiled. “I have many. Any particular one?”
“Yes. I would like to know more about King Arthur.”
“There are many such tales. King Arthur’s knights, King Arthur’s battles, King Arthur and Merlin...”
“I’d just like to know a little bit about him.”
“Then I shall keep it simple. Centuries ago, Britain was in turmoil. There were many kings, fighting for power and land, and then outsiders came who fought them all. One king, Uther, was more powerful than most, and he had a very clever man as his advisor. He was called Merlin.
“There were rumours that Merlin was a wizard. They said he could control the elements—earth, water, air, and fire; that he could turn night to day, control animals, and cross to the Otherworld. At that time, the paths between both worlds were easier to walk, if you knew where to look. Many fey and humans passed to and fro, and Merlin crossed many times.
“King Uther had a son, called Arthur. He was born in Tintagel, King Uther’s castle by the sea. Merlin spent much time with him, teaching him many things. The things he couldn’t teach, he made sure Arthur learnt from other skilled men.
“Arthur grew strong, and yet he was a gentle man, keen to talk with his enemies rather than fight. But when he did fight, everyone marvelled at his strong hands and quick feet, and warriors admired his skill and pledged him allegiance.
“When King Uther died, Arthur became king, but the time was fraught with danger. In spite of the outsiders who continued to invade, the other kings still fought each other ferociously. Merlin wanted to give Arthur a sword with magical powers to protect him in battle, and it would also unite the people, allowing them to vanquish their enemies. He crossed through the mists to the Otherworld to bargain for such a weapon.
“His friend, Vivian, had great influence amongst the fey. She was wise with arcane knowledge and power, and she lived upon the Isle of Avalon that straddled both worlds. She agreed to speak to the Forger of Light, and after a negotiation, he consented to make a sword—Excalibur. But in exchange for this magical weapon, Vivian demanded that Arthur come to the Otherworld when his life was all but over, to rest until he was needed. Merlin felt he had little choice and agreed to the bargain, though he never forgave Vivian for it.
“So, Merlin performed one of his greatest feats of magic. In order to prove the sword’s powers, and Arthur’s power to rule over all, he set the sword in a great stone, telling the kings that whoever could withdraw the sword would be the one and only true King of Britain. Many tried and many failed, all except Arthur. He withdrew the sword from the stone as if he were pulling it from butter. He held it aloft, and the sun struck it and dazzled all those watching. They fell at his feet, acknowledging that he was the one, true King.
“These warriors became his knights, and to promote fairness and equality, King Arthur had them sit at a round table, and the land of Britain united to fight and repel the newcomers. His court was at Camelot, and it dazzled beneath the sun and moon like a shining jewel. King Arthur ruled for years and years. His knights fought, quested, feasted, and held tournaments. His people loved him, and the land was at peace.
“But even in the land of light, some still sought the shadows.
“King Arthur had an older half-sister, called Morgan le Fay. She resented the time that Merlin gave to King Arthur, and she begrudged the King’s success. Morgan was half-fey and half-human, and a powerful sorceress. Merlin didn’t trust her. She conspired against King Arthur, seeking to destroy him. Using her magical arts, she lured King Arthur’s nephew, Mordred, with promises of power and wealth. She filled his head with lies and trained him to kill King Arthur. She was patient, waiting and watching until the King was distracted. Finally, the time came.
“King Arthur was betrayed by his wife, Queen Guinevere. She was beautiful but weak, and desired Sir Lancelot, one of King Arthur’s greatest knights. And Lancelot desired her. When King Arthur found out, Queen Guinevere was banished, and Lancelot fled the kingdom, swiftly pursued by King Arthur, who chased him far and wide, full of anger and vengeance.
“Morgan seized her chance. By the time King Arthur returned, Mordred had taken the land. They fought in the great Battle of Camlann, and King Arthur was mortally wounded. As required by the bargain, the King’s body was carried to the lakeshore from whence he could be taken to Avalon. Excalibur was thrown into the lake as a signal to Vivian, and she emerged from the mists with her eight sister-priestesses to escort King Arthur to the Otherworld.
“And Britain fell into darkness.”
Fahey was solemn, and turned to the fire. Beansprout followed his gaze. She stared into the flames, remembering Vivian and the large boat with the dragon-headed prow coming to take Tom to wake the King, and wondered if it was the same boat that had taken King Arthur to Avalon.
