Father of Storms

by Dean Jones

  “The last thing I remember was a feeling of being pushed backwards and then the light and noise of an explosion”

  Marcy smiled again, “that was your dad…always thinking of us first.” she didn’t take her eyes from the window “he took care of those people though…after he knew we were safe.”

  Hope got up and joined her mother looking out the window.

  “He will be OK, won’t he?”

  Marcy smiled “he is a survivor and believe me he would do anything to get back to us.” She wrapped her arm around her daughter and pulled her close again. Seth had waited for her and she would wait for him.

  Hope’s Plan

  Watching her mother prowl around the hotel room, Hope let her mind wander and she focused as her father had taught her to.

  For a fifteen-year-old girl, Hope has had a lot of wisdom passed down from her father and mother during her upbringing. Obviously, they had spent many years running away from unwanted attention and she’d had as many homes as she had years under her belt, but she was content with her life and always felt a little excitement when her dad would rush into the house and start throwing his clothes into a suitcase as ‘they had to leave’.

  The world changed two days ago and both she and her mother were worried sick about her father. The chaos that followed the explosion and the knowledge he had been taken away by someone was still settling in her mind and she, like her mother, half expected him to burst through the door and start packing them up to leave. It dawned on her that all her clothes were in their other hotel and she had been in the same joggers and top for far too long.

  Watching her mother deal with the situation by pacing the room and looking out of the window to the streets below wanting to spot her father in the crowd, Hope had decided she was going to do what she had been taught and settled down to clear her mind.

  After several minutes and lots of attempts, she finally found her little place, as her father called it, and began to speak in her mind.

  “Mara? Are you there?” she breathed slowly and waited, knowing they could hear her as they had told her dad the answers to questions she had asked.

  Minutes passed and there was no response, she was undeterred though, she had been trying every couple of hours without success since finding out what had happened, and they had settled into the hotel to wait. This hotel was chosen ahead of their trip to London as the place they would meet up if anything happened. They always had a back up location arranged should anything happen, which it never did…until now.

  “Mara are you near?” she asked again.

  This time things felt different and she could hear sounds coming from behind her. At first, she assumed it would be from her mother who was probably still looking out of the window but then there was something else in the sound which did not add up and she called out again.

  “Mara, can you hear me Mara?” she waited again.

  “Yes, Little Mistress, we hear you though you are very quiet” Hope gave a little squeal of excitement and tried to concentrate harder to increase the connection.

  “Where is my dad, have you spoken to him?” she asked in her mind. The one question she avoided was the one which was the most important, but she hoped the answers to the first questions would provide the answer she wanted to hear.

  “He is alive, Little Mistress though we cannot speak with him as he is not currently able to reach out to us.”

  Hope smiled at the response and resisted the urge to open her eyes and tell her mother what she had just learned.

  “He’s alive!” she said in her mind.

  “Yes, Little Mistress but we are concerned as he does not seem to know who he is,” the Mara whispered.

  “What do you mean he doesn’t know who he is?” Hope asked.

  There was a pause and her mind went silent. Hope refocused and tried to concentrate more so she could hear the response.

  “He is under attack, from who we do not yet know but he is also being beaten by those in league with the attacker. It is the combination of these things which is stopping him communicating with us or hearing us when we speak.”

  Hope thought about the situation the Mara had explained. It struck her as amazing her father could be kept in a state where he could not find his quiet place and speak with the Mara, especially since she had never known anything that could cut the connection he had with them.

  She had been trying for the past twelve months to improve her own ability to speak with the spiritual realm and more so over the last couple of days, but her father could do it as easy as switching on a light.

  “What can we do, do you know where he is?” she decided practical questions were required.

  “We do not know exactly where he is, but we do know he is in the same city as you are” the Mara replied. “We have been putting his memories into his dreams and unconscious mind trying to remind him of who he is, but it does not appear to be having any effect.” Hope considered this information and an idea popped into her mind.

  “What events have you been showing him Mara?” she asked.

  “We have shown his birth, as it is an important moment!”

  “But what difference does that make?” she asked, “he needs to see his life and the passion he has for his family, have you shown him anything connected to this?”

  There was another pause. Hope thought she could make out whispers again and tried harder to listen and concentrated on the sound of the Mara whispers.

  “Your father is a great man; Little Mistress and it is the memories of battles and great deeds he needs right now as he is in a fight we fear he is losing. We do not know what will happen if his mind breaks,” the concern in their voices was clear to her, but she knew her father and needed the Mara to follow her instructions.

  “Mara, he is my dad and I know him and how he thinks. He loves me and my mum with all his heart, he would do anything to protect us…nothing would come between him and our safety” she let the words settle and took a deep breath hoping the Mara would understand.

  The problem was the Mara were in awe of Seth and they did not recognise the softer emotional side of his persona only the strong-willed fighter made sense to them.

  “Can you help him remember us, Mara, show him why he waited so many years for the love of his life to come back to the earth and what it means to him to have me?”

  Again, there was silence and this time Hope knew it was because the Mara were discussing what she had said between themselves. It was strange to hear one whispered voice having a conversation with itself, but she knew that was how the Mara communicated, two entities but one voice in harmony.

  “We agree, Little Mistress, we will visit him next time he is sleeping and show him what you ask.” The Mara sounded doubtful, but Hope was grateful they had taken her opinion on board and agreed to help.

  There was a pause and Hope could hear a busy chatter of whispers behind her as if the Mara were arguing about something.

  “In doing as you ask,” they finally said. “We will also show him other things from his life to stir his soul, as we believe he needs strength to fight back against this energy. We will also show him events he needs to see to give him an understanding of what happened, so he can better equip himself to escape that which has him trapped in pain…and kept us from him,” there was a distinct tinge of anger in their voices and Hope felt a chill down her spine as the energy increased around her.

  “We have been in service to your father for many centuries and we are displeased someone has taken him away from us.” The Mara started to circle Hope and she became increasingly uncomfortable at their behaviour.

  “Not since he lost his love all those years ago, have we been disconnected and not spoken to him,” they continued as the room became oppressive and Hope cowed at their intensity, “We understood his distance then, as he had suffered a great loss and he did not want to hear of a future without his love. But this time someone is stopping his spirit reaching out and in doing this they have
blocked us touching his mind. But they cannot stop his dreams and it is there he will rediscover himself and then…” suddenly Hope was aware of shapes in her peripheral vision moving around when suddenly they were in front of her.

  “We will discover who this person is who has attacked us in this way and Seth, the mighty, will bring down his fury and we will feast on their souls!” Hope saw two faces appear before her, hooded and dark but she knew who they were, and she felt the intensity of their words and recoiled at their ire.

  The Mara became suddenly agitated, “Our Master sleeps, we must go to him.” With that they were gone.

  Hope opened her eyes and blinked several times to accustom them to the light in the room. Finding her mother sitting next to her with a worried look on her face, she gave her, what she hoped was a confident smile, although she felt less than confident with the experience she had just had.

  “What have you found out Hope?” She asked as soon as she was sure her daughter was fully with her.

  “He’s alive mum!”

  Marcy jumped up from the floor and gathered her daughter into her arms and wept with joy. Nothing else mattered now she knew he was still alive as she realised it was only a matter of time until he found a way back to them.

  The Early Years

  Seth was stood excitedly fidgeting from foot to foot by the large stone on the path at the front of his house. He’d been waiting forever, as far as he was concerned; his father had told him to wait on the path for Mae to collect him from there.

  His father hadn’t been specific as to what exactly Mae wanted him for, but Seth was excited none-the-less, he hoped it was something to do with her magic. He had seen her bring a pig back to life during the winter and ever since then he’d been pestering her to show him how she did it. Ardeth was very patient, as ever, and had explained to him that not all things you see with your eyes are in fact what they appear.

  To a five-year-old, it was a poor explanation and he’d scoffed at the answer, which had earned him a reproachful look from Mae.

  As he was waiting he decided to try and rest on the rock to ease the burden on his feet, after all, he was going to need them for the walk he was going on with Mae and there’s no sense them being tired before they set off.

  Clambering onto the rock he looked down the path towards the village, where he expected Mae would appear from. He took a deep breath and let out a silent prayer to Thunor asking that he speed old Mae up. Thunor was his favourite God and although the God of thunder is generally not called upon to hurry people along, Seth didn't think he would mind.

  Fethan-lea was nestled in the valley and Mae’s house was on the outskirts on the far side of the village.

  Fethan-lea had grown over the last five years with several new families arriving from the outlying villages to settle down in a thriving town. Seth’s father had been instrumental in the growth and had led the people from a small village to one of the most prosperous towns in Mercia.

  From his vantage point on top of the hill, Seth could look out across the whole village and beyond to River Dee in the west. He planned to go there someday to fish with his father, but it seemed to him every spare moment his Father had was spent with the villagers, tending the livestock or fighting raiders from the Northumbrians or the Celts from across the River.

  Seth’s father was currently off fighting with his uncles, Felix and Raedan. Aethelbald, the King of Mercia, had sent messengers to ask for all warriors to join him to help defend the valley against the attacks from the Northumbrian raiders.

  Seth turned and looked at the old oak tree which stood like a sentry, watching silently over their crops and livestock, at the side of their fields. He hadn't really looked at the tree properly before but now he had time on his hands he watched the branches gently moving in the warm summer breeze. The air movement gave no lasting relief from the heat of the morning, but it moved your hair and provided a quick chill to your cheeks. He continued to watch as the wind took the branches of the tree and moved them side to side fluttering the leaves as it passed through. The sight hypnotised Seth and he jumped when Mae laid her hand on his shoulder.

  “Daydreaming, my boy, what do you see?” Mae’s voice was kind but demanding, he knew he should answer but his tongue caught in his mouth resulting in a shrug of his shoulders.

  Mae smiled and walked past him gently tugging at his tunic for him to follow. Seth jumped down from his perch and made after the old woman who had put a few paces distance between them in the moments since she walked past him.

  Seth jogged briefly to close the gap and fell in step beside Mae as they walked past his house, where he could see his mother watching protectively from the doorway, and down the hill towards the woods.

  Seth had been in the woods many times with his father playing warriors with sticks, instead of spears and swords, during which he’d learned to protect himself always after his father had patted his spear onto Seth’s head when he wasn’t paying attention.

  Apparently, it was really important for him to learn to carry both a spear and a sword because his father had high hopes for him to become a great warrior like him, and to one day take over his position as the head of the town.

  Seth’s head was filled with the play fights and moves he’d been learning as well as thoughts of his father fighting far away, so when Mae stopped he kept on walking, absentmindedly making his way to the place he and his father used to play.

  “You going somewhere, Seth?” Mae called over to him as he reached the first line of trees; he stopped short suddenly realizing he was walking alone.

  “Come, sit beside me, so we can talk a little” Seth broke into another little jog to get to where Mae was sat waiting for him, she patted the grass next to her indicating that’s where he should sit and waited for him to settle himself.

  “Have you heard of Spae Seth?” Seth's eyes widened, he had heard of Spae and his eagerness spilled out into an enthusiastic nod and a little giggle. This was Mae’s magic and she was going to tell him how to heal pigs and make crops grow.

  “Then tell me what Spae is, since you are clearly eager to spill what it is you think you know?”

  Seth’s grin faded a little and he thought hard about his answer but being five he knew everything so was confident, “it’s magic, mother Mae. You pray a little, I think, and then you can make things happen…like making pigs better when they're sick or making pretty flowers grow in the fields.” He gave a little nod which showed he’d explained fully and sat waiting for Mae to congratulate him.

  There was a little laugh on the lips of Mae as she spoke, “and that’s it is it? Magic to heal pigs and make flowers grow…well, that is certainly an answer I’ve not heard before, I’ll give you that my boy.” It interested Mae this was the answer the boy gave her, and she smiled at the satisfied look he had on his face.

  “I suppose your right…in a way, Seth.” She said as she ruffled his hair, “but it is so much more than just that, there are many things Spae can do and many more uses for which it can be put towards.” Mae paused again and looked at Seth and he nodded to show he was still paying attention.

  “Have you heard of Frigg?” Seth looked indignant, of course he had heard of Frigg! All boys his age knew of her. He nodded.

  “Of course you have, well when Frigg walked the earth it was just a barren land where nothing grew, and no animals grazed. It felt, to her, that the world was filled with loneliness as she made her way across it. She was so saddened by it all that she decided she would leave behind something so that the world was no longer alone. As she walked the earth for the last time she left in her wake her own essence, or energy if you like, so the world might know company.”

  She had told the tale many times and enjoyed the looks on children’s faces as she recited the story of Spae and how it became known to the world. Seth jumped up and down in glee and she had to put a hand on his shoulder to settle him.

  “Well,” Mae continued “the world was very grateful for it kn
ew the gift it had been given. Over time it nurtured the energy, so it felt welcomed and wanted in its new home. Soon the energy felt a kinship to the world and it started to settle into the land.”

  Seth raised his hand.

  “Yes?” Mae inquired.

  “Why did Frigg leave?” This was a question he had always thought of when hearing the story.

  “Because she was needed at Woden’s table, can I continue?” satisfied, Seth nodded.

  “For a long time, the world only knew its bleak and lifeless existence, but it now had the consciousness of Frigg within it, so it decided something was needed to break up the bareness of the land and asked the energy for help. In that moment water sprung from the ground and made great seas and lakes. Time continued with the water lapping against the land for many aeons until the world asked the energy to bring forth life and so the energy obliged and decided to become plants, then creatures of the land and sea until one day it decided to become us!”

  Seth stared blankly at Mae for a moment then he raised a single eyebrow, “So we are Frigg’s energy which lives on the land” Seth mused, and Mae nodded and gave him a warm congratulatory smile.

  “Spae is the word we use for the energy, so a Spae worker is someone who uses their abilities to work with the energy that is all around us, and because the energy is everywhere and within everything, it can be asked to heal and to grow new life.”

  She saw a question appear in the boy’s eyes.

  “But not everyone can work with Spae,” she added, “it has to be taught first so a person knows how to ask for things to be done and to learn to respect the force of the energy which lives around us.” Mae cut the question on Seth's lips short and he sat back a little deflated. “Only a few of us, like you, have the ability to learn how to use Spae.” She drifted off for a second in thought, “less and less people are born with the skill as the years go by” she added.