Peter quietly sighed to himself thanking God that Kaz and Titch were not harmed. He now pondered whether he should have involved them in his quest in the first place, but in reality everything in the universe has its time and place. Some think it is fate that deals all the cards, but Peter knew it was a little more than that this time. He turned to face Kaz and Titch who were anxiously waiting for his direction. “Okay, Stefan’s men will take care of Gawain, while we will go ahead to Olwydd’s house. I can’t risk going back to my home tonight. Some of the raiders from the party that attacked you would be returning to report our whereabouts. They will be scouring the forest during the night,” advised Peter, “… and anyway, I think you two have been through enough for one day.” There was no argument about that.
A horse was led over for Kaz to ride, whilst Titch was to sit behind Peter. As another member of their group loaded up their backpacks, he seemed surprised at their weight. “This is Garnoc,” said Peter, introducing him, “he will be coming with us.” Garnoc, a very tall, stout, fierce-looking warrior-type, grabbed Titch like a sack of feathers and easily placed him onto the horse behind Peter with seemingly no effort at all. He then mounted his own horse and gave Kaz a wink that was not reciprocated. Titch turned around to look at the back end of the horse which was swishing its tail to and fro. He felt that was a little too close for comfort. Anxiously, he looked over each side of the beast, and noticed it looked a rather long way to the ground should he fall off. He thought he could just about manage all this until the horse actually started to move away slowly. Peter yelped as Titch grabbed Peter hard around the waist as if hanging on for dear life … and this was just at walking pace! It was only a ten minute ride, but for Titch it felt like a millennium. Light rain was now falling and the odd flash of lightning and the not-so-distant rumble indicated a storm was imminent. Titch had kept his eyes transfixed on the back of Peter’s cloak for most of the journey, and his grip hadn’t weakened. Cautiously they approached a collection of roundhouses and small animal enclosures that combined to form a small village at the edge of the nearby forest. As they moved in closer, Peter chose a path that kept them in the shadows as much as possible and utilised the increasing cloud cover. Kaz, whose horse riding experience was reasonable, found manoeuvring her way around the many obstacles a good challenge. Peter stopped at the rear of a very ordinary roundhouse which did not distinguish it from the others. “This is it,” he announced, and waited for Titch to dismount, which of course he had no intention of doing by himself. Peter beckoned to Garnoc to come and assist. In the blink of an eye, Titch was lifted up and ungraciously plonked on the ground. Peter promptly dismounted and Garnoc took his horse which he quickly tied with the others under an adjacent awning where they were nicely sheltered from the weather. Peter then knocked gently on a small entrance door and waited. Kaz noticed that the building had no windows. In fact, none of the buildings had any windows, which she thought was a little odd. Footsteps and some shuffling could be heard from behind the door. Then after a moments silence, some talking could just be heard, then more silence. Titch looked at Kaz, who looked at Peter, who just raised his eyebrows and smiled. Finally, after about a minute, bolts were heard sliding and very slowly the rustic latch lifted and the door slowly edged open. It then stopped partly ajar and a shadow of a small figure could be seen in the gap.
“Merlin!” shouted the mystery person. Titch, Kaz and even Garnoc, who had now rejoined them, all jumped at least a metre in the air, “Come in.” The door was opened further and Peter went in first, ducking his head under the low door beam. He beckoned Kaz and Titch to follow, and Garnoc knew his place and stayed outside keeping watch and guarding the horses. Inside the house was divided by partitions but they all opened to a central stoned-ringed fireplace in the centre which gave off enough light for the whole house. The warmth was amazing, but the smoke that filled the air was not so pleasant. The floor was just bare earth which felt very soft underfoot. The short man led them to the opposite side of the house and into a partitioned zone. Kaz noticed two rough-looking women were tending to a young child in a nearby partition. Then to Kaz and Titch’s amazement, the man brushed aside some straw with his feet to reveal a hidden wooden hatch with a large round ring connected at one end. He pulled up the hatch to reveal steps heading downwards. He muttered something in some strange language and beckoned the others to follow.
“It’s okay,” assured Peter, who gestured Kaz to go first, being the gentleman that he was. At the bottom of the flight of stairs was a cramped and narrow passageway, lit by small oil-burning candles. A smell of burnt oil and wax permeated throughout. The passage then opened up into a small room which would be the size of a modest bathroom these days. Kaz looked disappointed. She was expecting a hearty meal and a good bed for the night. She turned to Titch and just pulled an ugly face. Titch was too busy checking out the all too familiar stuffed animals that sat in the four corners of the room. They looked distinctly similar to those back at the old farmhouse.
Peter politely introduced everyone in turn. “This is Olwydd. This is Kaz and this is Titch.” Olwydd looked suspiciously at the young travellers. Peter then chatted in a strange Celtic language for a few minutes. Peter and Olwydd seemed to take turns looking at Kaz and then Titch, breaking into laughter on occasion and equally serious on another. Kaz and Titch felt a little perplexed for being left out of the conversation and a little annoyed that they were possibly the focal point of their amusement. Eventually they finished their conversation and Olwydd, who was no taller than Titch, held out both hands in greeting and uttered some undecipherable word. Kaz shook with both hands in return, and then Olwydd and Titch shook hands. But Olwydd did not release his hands from Titch immediately, but held onto them. Olwydd turned to Peter and told him something that seemed to surprise Peter. Olwydd then let go of his grip and patted Titch gently on one shoulder.
“What?” said Kaz, looking to Peter, “What is it with Titch?”
Peter hesitated. “Um… well, he’s special.”
“Special?” said both Kaz and Titch in unison.
“Well, apparently Olwydd says he’s got the gift.”
“What? A gift for being a pain in the ar--,” started Kaz before she was so eloquently cut off.
“Ah, let’s move on downstairs, shall we. Olwydd is ready for us,” instructed a hasty Peter. Olwydd moved close to what seemed like a sold timbered wall and slid back a cleverly concealed panel. Another wooden stairway led downwards.
“I’m not going down there,” said Kaz indignantly.
“It’s quite safe and you’ll be pleasantly surprised,” replied Peter, in his usual soft and calming voice.
“I had just about enough surprises for one day, so if you …,” Kaz stopped abruptly as her nose caught the smell drifting up from below. She took a good sniff. “Is that …?”
“Roast chicken,” answered Peter, “… sure is.”
“Make way … I’m coming down,” said Kaz, suddenly changing her attitude.
“Wait for me,” said Titch, following close behind. Led by Olwydd, they were quickly marched down the stairs and through an open door. As Kaz and Titch entered, the size of the room was quite unexpected. It was rectangular, running left to right as they stepped into it, with a door at both the far ends. The room was well lit and had painted murals of animals around the walls. A large oak table was the centrepiece of the room, which was surrounded by six wood carved chairs that sat on a patterned floor paved with orange terracotta tiles. Compared to the house above, everything here was exceptionally clean and tidy. As they entered the room the cooking smells were just divine. The table was in the process of being set with plates and cutlery by a young woman who acknowledged them with a quick smile and then returned to her duties.
“This is Gwen,” said Peter, introducing the pretty, blond-headed maiden to Kaz and Titch. Gwen noticed they were looking at her and her pale cheeks blushed as she exited through a doorway at the right of the room, which was obviously a kitchen of some description. However, within moments she returned with the first of many dishes that were arranged along the length of the table. Olwydd beckoned them to sit.
As Kaz politely waited for the meal to start, she took a closer look at the room. She knew something was not quite right when she first entered, but now she realised what was wrong. Peter noticed she was staring at the four light fittings on the wood-beamed ceiling. “Yes Kaz, they’re electric powered … before you ask,” smiled Peter.
“But …”
“They’re running off solar batteries. Um, there’s more I need to …” Before Peter could finish, he was interrupted by a small alarm sounding from nearby. Olwydd put his hand in his jacket pocket and pulled out a small square device. He spoke some words to Peter, and then exited up the stairs. “Stefan and Gawain have arrived, please excuse me for a moment,” advised Peter, who then rose and followed after Olwydd.
“There’s more to this Peter ... or Merlin as he fancies himself, than meets the eye,” said Kaz, whispering close to Titch's right ear.
“E’s alright, been nice wid me,” said Titch.
“Oh, he’s nice alright, but aren’t we supposed to be helping Andy and Dave? He hasn’t mentioned them once today. I thought we were brought here so we could help them. I mean, do we really know he’s up to? He keeps everything a secret and I’m just not sure I can trust him.”
“Oh he’s trustworthy,” said a gentle voice from behind them. Gwen was standing in the doorway behind them and had been quietly listening to their conversation. Kaz and Titch immediately swung around in their seats.
“You can talk?” asked Kaz without thinking.
“Yes, I can talk,” responded Gwen, perplexed by the question.
“No, I mean you speak English.”
“Yes, I am programmed to speak many languages.”
“What do you mean ‘programmed’?” asked Kaz, with an utterly unbelieving look on her face. Before Gwen could answer her question, a noise came from the kitchen which sounded ominously like a microwave oven beeping.
“Excuse me,” Gwen said politely, before heading back through the door to the kitchen.
“She’s nice too,” said Titch, who had been busily lifting the lids on the earthenware pots to see what they contained.
“This is crazy, or I’ve already gone crazy and I’m really laid up in Pembroke Hospital probably in a comatose state or something even worse.”
“Coma… what?” asked Titch. Kaz turned to Titch to say something derogatory but couldn’t be bothered wasting her breath. In time to save her sanity, the stairway door opened and they were joined at the table by Peter, Stefan, Olwydd and a haggard-looking Gawain, who still looked terribly dishevelled even after having been washed and cleaned up.
“We shouldn’t be disturbed tonight,” said Stefan, “… looks like this storm’s going to last the night. Those stupid raiders hate to get their hair wet,” he joked. Peter, Kaz and Titch saw the funny side and chuckled along with him.
As Gwen placed a jug of hot gravy in the centre of the table, Olwydd finally gave the go-ahead to eat. As Gwen, returned once again to the kitchen, Stefan turned to her and said, “Thanks Gwenhwyfar, this looks magnificent.”
Kaz nearly choked on her first bite. “You got to be joking,” she mumbled. That name was in the bloody King Arthur book, she thought to herself. But she decided it was better to just keep quiet and be thankful for a real meal. Roast chicken was her favourite after all. The meal was a bit like the Mad Hatter’s tea party. A mix of languages was being exchanged across the table. These included English, Latin, Celtic, a vague Demetian dialect and sometimes a mixture of them all. A number of times Kaz and Titch were asked to tell the story of their encounter with the ‘Lady of the Lake’, and this seemed to cause the most excitement amongst the others, especially the news of the young lake serpent. Stefan’s news of two raiders recently being attacked and eaten by wild dog-beasts in the forest, seemed to pale into insignificance. Kaz being the only female seated at the table, felt a little intimidated at times. Even young Titch seemed to relish in the male gusto that filled the atmosphere. Having filled her stomach Kaz started to fill her mind with all the contorted and confused information she had received over the last few days and needed to process and categorise it. Her day to day life was usually quite disorderly and never planned, but she was really having trouble with the current events. Her mind started to wander. She still wanted to be a travel agent when she left school as she loved to travel. She liked spending money like any normal girl, but money was tight, and part-time jobs were hard to find in Pembroke. You could usually get something in summer when the tourists rolled into town, but the rest of the year was dead. She thought of her dad. The loss of her father had so far been the biggest challenge of her short life. She felt cheated that a good man like him could just walk out on her without even a goodbye. It was so out of character. She would do anything to have him back. But now she was confused. Was this a stupid dream or a nightmare? Was she going mad or had she already done so? Nothing was slotting into the right holes. If her room was a mess, like it usually was, she could tidy it. If the dishes needed washing up there was always the dishwasher. Things could be sorted. But she could not sort her mind now and it really annoyed her. She needed answers, and soon, or she was going to scream the house down.
“Anyone for sweets?” asked Peter, deliberately looking at Kaz to wake her from her daydreams. Kaz turned and faced him with a very blank look. Peter put his head down into his beard then raised his eyes in an expectant puppy-dog eyes fashion.
“Oh, mm, yeah, I suppose,” she blubbered.
“Good,” said Peter, “… it’s my favourite tonight.”
“What is it?” asked Titch, wide-eyed with mouth open.
“Fried toad bellies with horsefly sauce,” said Peter keeping a straight face.
“Oh yuk,” said Titch horrified, “… I fink I’ll miss out.”
The door to the kitchen swung open. “Here it comes now,” said Peter, turning as Gwen entered and placed a large covered bowl on the table. She smiled at Titch as she carefully removed the lid.
“Oh wicked!” exclaimed Titch, as he eyed the contents. A tantalising assortment of small cakes and biscuits were piled high for all to share.
“Help yourself,” urged Peter, “you two have deserved it. Gawain is in your debt for saving his life and Arthur will be here in the morrow to retrieve his father’s long lost sword.”
“Arthur’s here tomorrow?” asked an excited Titch, talking through a mouthful of wild berry slice.
“Yes, but unfortunately you will be already gone,” said Peter.
“Gone where?” asked a surprised Titch.
“You have to return to the year 1945 by eleven o’clock tonight. Stefan has calculated the time differentials and adjusted the positional coordinates and entered these into the PAD. The signal strength is strong and clear and there has been no solar flare activity detected that could disrupt the transfer.”
“Um Merlin,” said Stefan, “I’ve been meaning to mention, but I got a little swept up with events this evening. Our rider has still not returned through the portal.”
Peter thumped the table which quickly gained everyone's attention. Kaz almost choking on an oatmeal biscuit. “He hasn’t!” said Peter agitated, “Then that could only mean he has been intercepted. How much gold are we short?”
“About twenty ounces all up. Five for PAD usage and at least fifteen to stabilise the machine when Kaz and Titch return home,” replied Stefan.
“Damn, then we have failed,” said Peter, collapsing back into his chair. “The delay will enable Krause to complete his plan. The time machine will eventually implode and create an ever increasing black hole that will eventually swallow up the earth and surrounding cosmos. In the meantime, we will be trapped in this time and place and will not be able to leave. I’m sorry Kaz and Titch, but you can never return home. This was not the outcome we had hoped for.”
Immediately Kaz and Titch smiled smugly at each other, contradictory to the reaction Peter expected. “Go on then,” said Kaz, moving her head sharply to point Titch to where their backpacks were lined up by the wall. Titch leapfrogged off his chair like a boy possessed, grabbed his heavy bag off the floor, dumped it down on his chair and proceeded to grab a handful of gold coins which he let drop in front of Peter.
The men around the table all gasped and stared in disbelief as Titch let another handful drop onto the table, with the odd fruit drop mixed in. “But how … where?” asked an exuberant Peter.
“Titch found them when we were in the Lake of Legends and there’s more in my pack,” smiled Kaz cheekily.
Stefan spoke to Olwydd and Gawain in a language they could understand. Olwydd clasped his hands in obvious excitement and gestured a big thankyou, which you could read from his body language. “Gawain said you are truly magical to have succeeded in stealing gold from a dragon,” said Stefan, translating for him.
“Well, you two never cease to amaze me,” said Peter.
“It’s all down to Titch really,” said Kaz, “… he was the one who found the sword, and the gold, and found the entrance to the hidden cave.”
“Yeah … yeah that’s right,” said Titch, “but if Kaz hadn’t run away from Peter’s cave and nearly got us killed by dog-beasts, and then nearly got us killed by the dragon-thingy, and almost got us killed by the pirates … we wouldn’t be here now.” Unfortunately, Titch’s attempt to give some credit back to Kaz, didn’t seem to hold the same recognition. Kaz felt a little awkward and wanted to hide under the table, but Peter and Stefan thought it was a huge joke, and Olwydd and Gawain soon burst into laughter with them, although they didn’t have the foggiest idea what they were laughing at.
Then through the joviality of it all, Kaz took on a serious look and said, “I wonder if Andy and Dave are still alive?”
The room went deadly silent as if everyone understood what she had said.