The Intercessor

by Miriam Davison

  As she talked, I was transfixed by her, but at last my senses returned to the room and I noticed we were not alone. I hesitantly turned my head and was met with such an array of strange creatures. Some bigger than others, some flying around in little circles, many of them were so beautiful and others I could only describe as ugly. I thought my mind had gone, I just sat staring. Had I snapped? Was this what they meant by a breakdown? I shook my head and closed my eyes, then opened them again; they were still there, and I seemed to be the centre of their attention. Then Hattie spoke again.

  'I see you have noticed our friends Abigail, they will be invaluable to you, let me introduce them all.' With that, one by one the little people, or whatever they were, stepped, or flew, forward to be introduced.

  The first in line was a small man of about 3 foot in height. He had a brown face and was covered in sparse brown hair. He stood in front of me, nodded his head and smiled. With all my research for my books, I knew immediately, he was a brownie.

  'Meet Clax, Claxton Metterhorn the 4th, to be precise, but he prefers Clax. I couldn't have managed without his help around the house all these years, and he is my oldest friend.' Clax smiled again, and looked so pleased and proud. Once I had said hello, he moved to go to the back of the room.

  'Next is Drinad, he is from the Porhines people.' A rather small old man came forward, even smaller than Clax, his face all wrinkled with age, but a lovely twinkle in his eye. As he moved to the back of the room Hattie whispered in my ear, 'good natured little man but don't ride a horse near him at night, he can’t resist leading you to your doom. It’s not his fault; it is just the way he is, but that’s his only fault.'

  The introductions went on. Gwent was from the Plant Rhys Dwfen tribe; he was very small but perfectly formed, and extremely handsome. Orchid, was from the Sprites, she was a beautiful creature, tiny and slim. Oswald was a Sylph; he was a very tall and extremely thin man. Selena was from the Turehu, a beautiful fairy with long golden hair, larger than most of the other Fairies, and so the introductions went on, Fairies, Gnomes, Elves; Eventually I had met them all.

  Throughout all this, something was bothering me, and eventually I said, 'How have you all come to be here? I know many of you come from Ireland, and Wales. I can maybe understand those of you from Scotland coming here, as we are not too far from there. Surely it is a long way to travel and I thought, from my research, that various tribes didn’t mix with each other.

  A small beastly looking little man stepped forward. He had been introduced as Grenville, a troll. 'When we sense trouble stirring, small troops from the many clans are sent to help. It is in our best interests to pull together at times like this.’ He seemed to drift off, but continued talking, ‘I remember a time when they even came from as far away as India to help; of course that was when Effie lived here. I'm glad we won that one; life would have been so bad if Agred had won. Now he was evil and when……' It seemed he would have rambled on if Hattie had not stopped him.

  'Yes, we all know Grenville, and one day you can tell Abigail the whole tale, but now is not the time to be telling stories. We can all feel the urgency and Abigail must be taught the basics, at least, if we are to stand a chance. I haven't got much longer in this world to help you all, so it is best we get started immediately' Hattie said. The room filled with rumblings of 'here, here' and 'poor Hattie.'

  I managed to open my mouth again, ‘What basics? I don’t understand what you expect me to do.’ The only reply I got was ‘You will know Abigail, when the time comes.’

  She quickly got everyone organised into groups to start my training. I had herb recognition with some, spells with others, enemy spotting with a third group and lastly potion making with Hattie. I really don't know why, but this seemed normal to me, I didn't question anything, I just went along with them and tried to do my best to learn all that was taught to me. Once I had begun, I wanted to learn all I could.

  The time passed quickly, my days crammed with lessons. I loved every minute of it, except I must admit, enemy recognition, as it scared me. The creatures I was to fight against seemed formidable, and I didn’t see how I could ever defeat them. The names alone made me shiver; Eachy, Ettin, Hobbididance, Black Annis; the list seemed endless. My favourite lessons, however, were spell casting and potion making. I loved spending time with Hattie and seemed to have a flair for these particular subjects.

  She taught me how to recognise the various herbs and how to mix them for different effects. I never knew there were masculine and feminine herbs and within these categories they were split into air, water, fire and earth. I found that plants such as, Cumin, Cedar, and Angelica root, was masculine and from the fire category; Whereas Burdock, Bramble leaf and Catnip were feminine from the water category and so on. I was so interested, prior to this I had only thought of herbs as something to add flavour to food. Their uses were amazing; protection, healing, curses and even to aid your love life!

  Before I realised, a month had almost passed. Hattie had explained she would be doing a spell soon and wanted me to watch each step. A few days before; she had taken me to Seth, the old gardener, and had chosen a twig for him to cut from the big old oak tree in the garden and she had taken it into the kitchen. She had carefully stripped it of all its leaves and bark and then soaked it in rain water and left it for a couple of days. I had to check on it to make sure it was safe, and then she made me take it out, and said it must dry for 3 days. It was now the eve of the full moon and everyone gathered in the big kitchen. A candle was placed on the table and lit. Hattie checked the twig, nodded, and then placed the thinnest end into the candle. She left it there till the end was blackened. She then took a square piece of paper and wrote on it with the burnt end of the twig. There was silence throughout, until Hattie spoke;

  'Mighty oak of ages past.

  Watcher of the world and all that passes, Impart unto me thy knowledge.

  That which has been brought to thee on the four winds and transferred to your heart from the depths of the earth.

  Let no secret thing remain hidden, but rather as the light brings thee life, let the life bring unto me knowledge.

  So this I ask, so may it be.

  She then blew out the candle, and rolled the paper up, sealing it with the candle wax. We followed her to the garden where Seth had dug a small hole. The paper and twig were buried and rain water poured in a circle round the little burial plot.

  She turned to me and said 'Be prepared for some strange dreams tonight dear, I have also put a few bay leaves under your pillow to help you remember them. I have asked for knowledge of what is being planned so we are better armed, and tonight this knowledge will come to you in your dreams.' I was shocked, to say the least. What if I couldn't remember, or got something wrong? I voiced my worries. A giggle went round the room. 'You were born for this Abigail. Did you never wonder where all your ideas for your books came from? They were all from inherited memories, you know the old saying 'writers write what they know about' well it’s mainly true. From the day we met, you have been drinking chamomile tea, this has helped awaken your memories and make your body and mind open to magic. Don’t worry you have been well prepared.' This explained my lack of protest to my new life, and why I was so ready to believe all I had been told. I was still not certain it would work but they would hear no more from me.

  CHAPTER 6

  I went to bed that night, positive that I would not be able to fall asleep. I was wrong; within minutes I must have drifted off.

  I had never experienced anything like this in my life. At first everything was hazy and then I found myself in a forest of some sort, with a large gathering. I seemed to bounce from one place to another, like a small Power-ball let loose in a tiny room, gaining speed and losing control. I just missed trees and glanced by the groups of people standing there. I tried to calm down and gradually I felt my composure returning, and I settled on a damp mossy bank, beside a huge old tree, twice as wide as me, and so tall and bushy that it made the
area dark and cold. No one gave me a second glance, and I realised I was invisible to them. Of course I was, I was dreaming; wasn’t I? I did a silly little dance in front of them, just to make sure then went back to my tree, giggling as I did. I could get used to this, and I thought of all the fun I could have with my family and friends. I had to concentrate now though, I had been sent here for a reason.

  I looked around and, much like the one at Hattie’s' house, there was a gathering of all types of creatures, the only difference being; nearly all of these creatures were ugly, with two exceptions. A beautiful woman stood in the middle, beside a handsome black stallion. There was an array of voices arguing with each other. 'Stop!' shouted the woman. 'Are we agreed or not? If you stand with me, you will be greatly rewarded. ‘A murmur of ‘ayes’ grew. 'Good, we will begin on the winter Samhain when I change to Caileach Bheur. The humans and those who aide them will fall. I will make it the worst winter ever. Dagda, you will be needed in battle and you shall stand by me.'

  A huge man, with the cruellest face I had ever seen, but quite handsome at the same time, lifted his axe slightly, and nodded as he said ‘forever my sweet.’ She smiled, although it seemed more of a smirk, and then turned to some really small, ugly creatures. ‘When I have made the blizzards and ice unbearable, Hedgar, you will take your Gremlins and sabotage the human machinery.' A cackling little laugh emanated from the loathsome beings. 'We will halt the passage of food and fuel to the humans,' she turned to a man, who seemed to be a hunchback and spoke; 'Orbreen, you must use your talents inherited from your forefather, Aghelhor, you must spread poxes to those already weakened.' Orbreen looked up and nodded, I reeled back at the sight. His face was covered in oozing warts and spots, his eyes crusted over with scabs. He smiled and showed the blackened teeth inside, and as he did so, his lips cracked open and blood began to run down his chin. I had to stop myself as I felt the bile make its way quickly up my throat, and I swallowed hard.

  ‘Now you Duergar,' as she turned to some little people standing not far from me, 'I need you to....,' she stopped mid sentence. She seemed to be listening and looked around, and at first I thought she was looking directly at me. I pulled myself behind the tree, trying to shrink so impossibly small. Had my invisibility worn off? I felt panic rising up my body, and then I relaxed when I heard her next words. 'I feel eyes are watching, there may be a psychic spy somewhere near so that is enough for tonight. Our plans are in motion and we will be victorious.' A loud cry of agreement and excitement erupted. They began to leave and I wasn’t sure what to do next. I thought of my home and my bed; with that I felt the haze again, and in an instant the crowd and the forest had gone.

  CHAPTER 7

  It was light outside when I opened my eyes, and I quickly got ready and went downstairs. The kitchen, once again was full, with Hattie sitting at the table with pot of tea and cups at the ready. As I entered, all eyes were on me, a look of anticipation and worry on the faces of the gathering. 'Sit down dear, have a cup of tea and relax before you tell us your dream.' As she spoke she was pouring the tea and nodding her head towards the chair beside her.

  I took the seat, and the offered cup. I sipped at the tea and felt myself relax, and then I started to recount the happenings of the previous night. It was mainly silent throughout my narrative, except for the odd gasps and whispers now and then. Whenever I said a name I had heard, I was asked to repeat it for confirmation, and it was written down. It was not until I had finished, that the room came alive with discussions and theories. All were in agreement that we were to be in for a hard fight. The woman in charge, I was told, was Epona, and on Samhain, which I knew as Halloween, she changed into Cailleach Bheur. From that time, she looked like an old hag, although in reality she was eternally beautiful, and she would bang her huge staff on the ground bringing frost and snow. Once winter is upon us, she has formidable power, but her reign ends at Beltane, May Day eve, when Brigit, the goddess who ushers in spring, takes over. It was well known she hated to relinquish her power, and now and then she would hire underlings to hamper the coming of spring. She had never tried anything like this before though. She was not strong enough on her own, but with Dagdar by her side, she would be hard to beat.

  'First things first,' Hattie said. 'We must stock up on all we need, if we are to have a chance, we can not run out of food, herbs and fuel. We must also go back to old ways, no electrical devices or technology that the Gremlins can sabotage. We must ask the Wood Nymphs if we can harvest extra wood for the fire and the range, it’s going to be very cold. Once our defences are sorted, we can begin to plan our counter attack. It is only five weeks till Samhain.' Again she organised the groups and in a flurry of activity, the work on our defences began.

  My job was to drive to various nearby towns to stock up on food and fuel. Questions would arise if I did all this in one place. The basement was cleared as a storage area and guarded by a small gang of Leprechauns. I ventured out twice a day, filling my car each time, with the items on my list that Hattie had wrote.

  The Wood Nymphs agreed to our request and each one gave extra wood from the trees they inhabited. These were stored against the walls in every room, as nothing could be left outside once the winter began. All our helpers were to move in the cottage also, except those who thrived in the cold. I went out again and bought camping beds and sleeping bags, more than enough for our needs, but the extra could be stored for emergencies. The fairies could not stay in their Brugh, which was the inside of a fairy hill, for fear the ice of the witch would seal them in, so they too moved in.

  I telephoned my friends and my publisher to say I was going away for a couple of months, and not to worry if they couldn't contact me as I wanted seclusion to write. My family lived abroad, so they were safe, and I contacted them to say I was going on a trip to America for a couple of months. I didn’t want them worrying about me and trying to return to England. I told my publisher I was doing well with my new book, and needed the seclusion to finish it; a lie, but he was happy. I tried to warn them all of a severe winter coming, and urged them to take care and stock up. This was all I could do, as who would believe the truth? I wished I could have done more and the regret nagged at me, but I had work to do, if I was going to save any of them.

  As soon as that was done, the task of storing anything the Gremlins could use against us began. The electricity was disconnected and lighting replaced by oil lamps. The old range was fine to use, as it was wood burning, and I had bought a huge old fashioned kettle to boil water in. Two weeks had passed and we had stocked up as much food, wood and other essentials, as the house would hold.

  CHAPTER 8

  On the morning of the 17th of October, I sat at the table with Hattie. There was just the two of us and that was most unusual of late. I could see she had something to tell me, and, because of her hesitance, it had to be something bad.

  'Hattie, is there something I should know? I have never seen you like this.' She looked at me and I could see the pain in her eyes. She spoke quietly to me. 'Yes Abigail, and I have been dreading this moment, but I know you are ready, I have faith in you. Remember our first day together, I said you were my replacement, and time was short. Well my sweet child, I can not join in this battle with you, I must leave this plane on the Samhain and you must lead the others to restore the balance.' I choked and tears filled my eyes. 'I need you Hattie, I can't do this alone, how can you leave? We need you!' My voice rising with fear and panic, I babbled on. She took me in her arms and hugged me as I sobbed. 'Don't worry,’ she said, ‘you have been quicker than I was at learning. I know you will do me proud. I wish I could stay, but the dead can not stay forever, my time is nearly over and I need to rest. When I am gone, my memories will fill your mind and help you. Be strong Abigail and you will succeed, never doubt your instincts child, they will always be true.'

  I couldn’t bare to think of her not being here, she had become a second mother to me and my best friend. As she hugged me; I knew she felt the same. All t
oo quickly the moment passed and we pulled ourselves together. Hattie called to the others and they all gathered in the kitchen once more.

  'We need to defend ourselves against Orbreen. I am going to do a health spell; it will help to ward off his pox. I have also made up pouches for everyone; I have included a variety of herbs such as Angelica root, Blessed Thistle and Caraway to give protection. I have also ground Basil and mixed Cumin and Salt to sprinkle on the floor of every room in the house to further our protection from evil. Now gather round and get your pouches, remember keep them on you at all times. Once everyone had collected their little bag of herbs, Hattie once again lit a candle in the middle of the table and the room became still while she said the incantation;

  I call upon the ancient powers, To give good health to those listed here. Make all diseases and maladies disappear. I empower this spell three times three. As I do will, so mote it be.

  She sprinkled herbs on the flame and then blew out the candle. 'Well I think we have done all we can to ward off the evil, now we must begin our strategy.