“So, he’s right. I’m stuck channeling these energies like some kind of bull in a china shop…”
“Not at all. You have a talented Druidess who seems to have some affection for you. As she demonstrated before, her focus can channel your raw power effectively. Our meeting with Lugh was not at all fruitless in that regard.”
“I suppose you could call us a real power couple!” Joni quipped as she put her arm around my waist.
“Beyond a doubt!” Merlin exclaimed. “I must encourage you both, however, to remain in each other’s company. Do not leave the other unattended. Not until we’ve discovered the identity and intentions of this girl in black.”
“You mean, even at bedtime?” Joni asked as she turned to me and winked.
Emilie gagged. “Isn’t it a little soon for that?”
“I… Um… Well, I don’t think that Gene and Lois would allow…”
“You’re eighteen now, hon. You can do what you like.”
“Maybe after graduation… But for now, I just think it would be disrespectful.”
“Of course,” Nesbitt added. “Do not do anything untoward. Though, you do already have a place outside of the Harley residence.” Nesbitt gestured at our surroundings.
“After graduation,” I insisted. “I can’t just drop out of high school with a couple weeks to go.”
“Understood, young Druid,” Nesbitt said. “Until then, use extreme caution. Try to be together as much as possible. Your staff can help you channel, it can help you focus. Your father’s will contained in these sigils will be a great aid, especially until you are further trained.”
“More training? When? I don’t like the idea that I’m running around like some sort of bomb, ready to explode with Annwnian energies any time I get too emotional or upset.”
“Go to school for now, you and Miss Campbell. Your training will commence in good time.”
“And what about us?” Tyler asked. “I feel like a third wheel in all of this.”
Emilie nodded in concurrence… though the number of odd wheels was creating a mathematical conundrum that complicated the metaphor.
“Oh, I am not done with you, Ovate. Neither am I done with you, Bard! I have gifts for each of you. Come, this way…”
Nesbitt took us around the pool to the back wall, where my father’s staff had previously been mounted. Next to the hooks that had supported the staff was an impression in the stone; a sigil of some kind filled the impression, but the light was too dim to make it out. Nesbitt pressed his hand against it. A large stone door rumbled as it slowly rolled upward.
“This is what you might call a Druid’s workshop,” Nesbitt said as he went inside. It was a small room, but spacious enough to accommodate the five of us, barely. A large stone workbench protruded from the far wall. A number of odd instruments and tools—things I’d never seen before—were scattered haphazardly atop the bench. “In time, Druid, you will learn how to use these instruments. Each of these is embossed with a sigil. Some your father made, a few are my own design. They will allow you to craft objects invested with the Spirit of the Tree. It is an advanced art, but rest assured, you will become proficient in time.”
I nodded to communicate my understanding.
Nesbitt retrieved a relatively flat but long box from beneath the bench. It was wrapped in red and green paper, featuring images of Santa Claus and his eight reindeer. “Pardon the paper. It may be out of season, but it was on sale.”
Tyler chuckled. “Ho, ho, ho.”
“This is for the Bard,” Merlin added. “It took me some time to perfect, but I think you will be pleased.”
“Thank you, sir,” Emilie added as she began carefully unwrapping the gift. She slid a finger under each seam, attempting to separate the tape from the paper without tearing it. She was accustomed to saving the wrapping paper and reusing it. When your family is struggling, thriftiness comes in a variety of odd forms. The box beneath the paper was a work of art in its own right. It was made of wood—it looked like oak—and was stained a dark mahogany. Emilie opened the lid, which tilted back on brass hinges.
“Oh my! Mr. Nesbitt, I don’t know what to say…” Emilie reached in, retrieving an impressive-looking violin and bow. Its body was traditional, though the holes on the front resembled the shape of something like a harp. The back of the body featured an impressive carving of a giant tree etched shallowly into its surface. The scroll at the end of the neck featured a carving of what appeared to be a bull’s head. Emilie traced her fingers across its surface. “It’s flawless. I don’t see a single seam in the body at all.”
“It took me some time to make, but I eventually got it right, I should say. It was hewn from the Tree of Life, itself… much like Elijah’s staff, and my own. The F holes themselves were shaped instead into the sigil of the Bard.”
“F holes?” Tyler smirked, raising an eyebrow. Why did Nesbitt have to mention that?
“Don’t go there, dude,” I insisted.
“Well, these holes are shaped differently,” Emilie added. “May I play it?”
“Of course! Please do,” Nesbitt said.
Emilie grabbed the violin and began playing a soothing tune, something classical. It seemed familiar, but I couldn’t name it even if my life depended on it. As she played, a green glow illuminated each stroke of the bow upon the instrument’s strings. Emilie’s eyes widened in amazement. “Its pitch is perfect… And this… is this magic?”
“Indeed, young Bard! There is one more object in the box. I trust you will find it helpful.”
Emilie reached inside and picked up what appeared to be an ancient scroll.
“This scroll contains the notes of Taliesin, Diarmid’s Bard. It contains many secrets, many abilities that the Bard alone can wield. I wish I could teach you more, but the Bardic arts are not my own. I trust the trees that this scroll will provide you all you need to know.”
“Thank you. This is incredible.”
“You’re welcome, young Bard. Now for the Ovate.” Nesbitt reached beneath the bench a second time, this time retrieving a burlap sack cinched together at the top by sinew. “Pardon me, young Ovate, for not wrapping this in the same manner I prepared the violin.” Nesbitt reached into the bag and retrieved what looked like an open-fingered, copper gauntlet. “The Ovate is a diviner and prophet. This glove belonged to Ceridwen herself. I fashioned it for her after Diarmid and Grainne had left, to aid her efforts to protect the village. In the palm is a single crystal. None but a true Ovate can wear it.” He handed the gauntlet to Tyler. “Please, try it on.”
Tyler nodded and slipped his left hand into the gauntlet. It responded to his hand, immediately tightening to a perfect fit. “Whoa… I didn’t expect that,” Tyler said, his eyes widening.
“You will notice the Ovate’s sigil on the gauntlet’s dorsal side. Three clockwise spirals, unwound and meeting to form a triangle at the center.”
Tyler rotated his hand, examining the sigil. “Neat… What does it do?”
“Divination is the art of seeing the truth. As a scientist, young Ovate, you are a diviner of sorts already. The crystal embedded in the palm, together with the copper of the glove, will illumine the truth of all things. Try it on the pool here.”
Tyler extended his hand, and a white glow emanated from the crystal, shining a targeted beam of light upon the pool. As the light struck the bubbling waters, five salmon were illuminated beneath the surface. As Tyler moved the light to the pool’s perimeter, a translucent image of five hazel trees appeared around its edge. “The pool… The one we saw in Annwn…” Tyler said.
“Indeed,” Nesbitt said. “Use it on a person and it will reveal their aura—the spirit of the person, their nature and connection to Annwn.”
Tyler shone the light on each of us. A green aura surrounded me as the light struck my chest. He moved the beam of light to Emilie, whose aura glowed purple. Then he illuminated Joni and Nesbitt, each of whom had a green aura like my own.
“What t
hese auras reveal is simply a nature, the way one’s spirit is tuned to the Spirit of the Tree of Life, or in many instances, the Wayward Tree. Do not make hasty judgments. One’s aura may change. It may evolve with one’s intentions and will. The art of divination is not merely to expose one’s truth, but to interpret it. The green aura represents, most clearly, one’s connection to the Tree of Life. A Bard’s aura runs purple. Your own would likely be golden in color.”
“Wow… Does this work on anyone?”
“For most, not so vividly. The common person, now devoid of any connection to Annwn, will likely possess a dim aura, though what color might be seen may reflect the person’s will and nature. A red aura indicates, in turn, a strong connection to the Wayward Tree. I should caution you to wield this gift carefully. Not all know their nature, and would rather not see it exposed. Likewise, like all the gifts you four possess, witnessing your abilities publicly will shock the common person. You do not want to garnish too much interest from unsuspecting individuals.”
Tyler clinched his hand into a fist, extinguishing the light. “Wicked… Thank you!”
“Not at all wicked, young Ovate. The energies of Annwn are neither good nor evil, it is only in the hand of the person who wields it that they become vicious or virtuous.”
“No, I didn’t intend… It’s an expression… I mean… it’s awesome.”
Nesbitt nodded, apparently accustomed to missing the idioms of whatever era he happened to be in. “And Miss Campbell, I have a final gift for you.” This time, Nesbitt reached into his own cloak and retrieved a short wand roughly a foot in length. “This wand, like Mr. Wadsworth’s staff, is hewn from the Tree of Life and bathed in the mystic springs. It bears no sigil. Your gift is not like Mr. Wadsworth’s; your gift is to channel whatever energies you receive—those energies may come from either friend or foe. With this, you may more precisely wield the energies of another. And perhaps, bathed in the mystical powers of the springs, it will aid you in discovering your Fomorian potential.”
Joni extended her hand, claiming the gift. She twirled it in her hand. “Thank you, sir. It is remarkably light.”
“It is light, but it will not break easily. Carry this with you at all times. You too, Mr. Wadsworth. Do not let your staff remain too far from your grasp.”
“Well, it’s pretty big… Surely people will notice…”
“It is, in its proper form. But it is made of oaken wood from the Tree of Life. Will it so, and it will reform into a more accommodating size. Though it must be in its proper form whenever you use it.”
I concentrated, envisioning the staff shrinking in my mind. Suddenly, a green glow illuminated the staff and it quickly reduced to the size of a ballpoint pen. I fit the staff neatly into my front pocket. “Well, that’s much more convenient.”
“With that, I must disband our little gathering for the day. I have gatekeeper business I must attend to. Before I go, I must add a word of caution. Until tomorrow evening, no matter what happens, I will not be able to return here.”
“What do you mean?” I asked. “Why not?”
“While my role as gatekeeper allows me to traverse the dimensions of space and time, no human soul can inhabit the same place more than once in any given time. Where I’ve traveled before, I cannot go again. If I happen to overstay in one place, and a former or later self of mine appears, I run the risk of being ripped out of the space-time continuum altogether, becoming isolated between worlds. Thus, I must remain diligent.” Nesbitt pulled out his phone and looked at the screen. “As of now, I have only a matter of hours before I must depart, and there are some matters I must attend to before I go.”
“So, you’ve been in this time… before?” Tyler asked. “Why?”
“In a manner of speaking, I was. There is no time to elaborate on that tale today. I must depart now. Mr. Wadsworth and Miss Campbell, I must repeat my admonition. Do not leave one another’s sight for long. So long as this mysterious sorceress pursues you, Mr. Wadsworth, Miss Campbell is your best chance to thwart her intentions.”
“We’ll be careful,” I said.
We made our way back up to the first floor of the Shire. I retrieved my inhibitor necklace from the table.
“One more thing,” Nesbitt said as we were heading toward the door. “You still need to sign these papers. Autograph at each x, and I’ll quickly send them off before I depart.”
I quickly located the x’s and affixed my signature in each specified spot. The Shire was now officially mine. I double-checked my pockets; my miniaturized staff and the oversized key to the Shire were there.
“Thanks, Nesbitt,” I said. “We’ll see you soon. Come back tomorrow?”
“You may return here tomorrow, young Druid and Druidess.”
“What about us?” Emilie asked. “What should we do?”
“You and Mr. Harley should practice using the gifts you’ve been given. Do not be anxious, young Bard. Your time will come, sooner rather than later. Your place in this order is essential—that goes for both of you.”
“Peace out, Merlin,” Tyler said.
“Word to your mother! And your father, too,” the wizard replied, extending a two-fingered wave in our direction.
Tyler laughed. “I’ll tell them you said so! And while you’re at it, tell the nineties I said ‘hi.’”
“I do not anticipate traveling there. But if duty so calls, I will.”
With those words, Nesbitt tossed the paperwork into his robes and stepped outside. He gripped his staff with both hands, extending it overhead. He twirled it, forming a golden halo above him. The halo began to expand over his body, a spinning cone of green and golden energy enveloping his form. The cone itself vanished, and Nesbitt with it. Apparently he had traveled… somewhere.
“Well, that was intense,” Emilie said.
“I suppose I have a lot to learn,” I added.
We packed into the Escort for our drive back home. The day’s events, and especially our little “session” with Lugh, had exhausted both Joni and myself. I managed to squeeze myself into the back seat with Joni while Emilie assumed my normal copilot position. It was about an hour’s drive, and I was dreading the frequent trips I’d likely be making back and forth after school over the coming weeks. Nesbitt said I could come back tomorrow. I was eager to train further, but the prospect of doing this on a daily basis was exhausting to think about. Still, even as we drove away from the Shire the only thing I wanted to do was go back. For the first time… ever… I felt like I had direction. I had a purpose.
I am a Druid.
How weird was that?
My mind rehearsed all the events that had happened over the last several days. As weird as it was, it also felt right. Then, with arguably the hottest girl in school resting her head on my shoulder, her hand clasping mine, I fell asleep.
I knew I was asleep… I knew I was dreaming… Or was I?
Awaken!
I found myself standing barefoot on parched, cracked soil. It was hot and dry.
The voice spoke again—Awaken!
No… it couldn’t be…
I looked around and saw the girl in black. Behind her stood a tall, dark tree enveloped in thorns. Its trunk was crooked, but its leaves were full and luscious, with red fruit dangling from its branches.
Part Four: Into Eden
18. Intrusion
“NESBITT… HE’LL KNOW what to do,” Emilie said.
“We don’t even know if he’s on Earth at the moment,” I said. “Dammit, why didn’t I think to get his phone number?”
“Well, he is on Twitter,” Tyler said.
My eyes widened, “Good idea.” I retrieved my phone from my pocket and quickly typed out a direct message @therealmerlin.
Nesbitt, the girl in black. Somehow she’s in my head, appeared in a dream. She’s my sister! Trying to get me to go to the Wayward Tree. What do I do?
We waited on the side of the highway. A part of me hoped he’d tell us to come back to the Shire,
that he’d be able to spare a few moments before he left our world entirely… Then I received a notification. I checked my messages…
There is nothing you can do today. Get your rest, young Druid. You will need it. Your path ahead will soon become clear.
What was that supposed to mean? He didn’t even react to the fact that the girl in black was Lily… I thought he’d be surprised, shocked even. Instead, he bid me to basically let the fates play out however they would. I read Nesbitt’s message aloud to the rest of the car. We all agreed his one bit of advice was worth heeding. We needed to get home and get some rest. I remained mostly silent. I couldn’t stop thinking about Lily. I was glad—thrilled—that she was alive. I was also worried about her. Was I right to fear her, too? Until that vision, all I could think about was how to gain enough Druid skill to defeat the girl in black… now I wanted to save her. But how? Could she even be saved? And, if she couldn’t cross the border between Annwn’s grove and Samhuinn… how did she get here the night I encountered her in the park? Nesbitt said that the Morrigan had managed to cast a gate into our world at some point in the ancient past. Maybe my sister had figured out how to do it, too.
It will be okay… Joni and I will see Nesbitt again tomorrow. It will be okay…
Still, as much as I tried to assuage my anxieties with the power of positive thinking, I couldn’t get rid of the sinking pit in my stomach.
Joni snuggled up against me in the back seat. Occasionally I’d catch Emilie’s rolled eyes reflecting off the windshield glass. It still wasn’t clear how we were going to follow Nesbitt’s advice to stay in each other’s company. There were two problems with that. First, there was no way the Harleys would allow her to stay the night, and they certainly wouldn’t be keen on me staying at her place. Second, our class schedules weren’t the same. At school, we’d be together in Home Ec, we’d have lunch together, and could touch base between classes. There was no way, though, to stay together all day. So, we set up a group message between all our phones. If anything happened… anything that seemed dangerous or suspicious, we’d immediately let the others know. It was the best we could do. So we dropped off Emilie and Joni. Emilie left her new Bard’s violin in the trunk of the Escort; she was anxious about bringing home something that looked like it might have been pricey and trying to explain it to her mother, who seemed to think that any spare money in the family was hers to support her habit.
Gates of Eden: Starter Library Page 22
