The Dark Age

by Traci Harding

  In the depths of Maelgwn’s memory, Miles recalled seeing Brian as the dark warlord of the past. ‘I know thee. I mean, you, Brian, or is it Brockwell?’

  Brian nearly dropped the cup in his hand. ‘Oh shit.’

  Tory and Naomi had walked all the way to the cliff top that overlooked the ocean, and sat watching the waves crashing against the rocks below. Naomi stared at the photos of Katren and Brockwell, appearing at a loss for words.

  ‘Are you okay?’

  ‘Oh yes,’ Naomi confirmed in earnest. ‘This explains so many things, it’s as if I have been released from death, somehow.’ She beamed with happiness. ‘I always knew there was more to this life, and now I find I was right. I am grateful that you confided in me. I was too harsh on Brian, I should have known he would have told me, if he could.’

  ‘Make no mistake, Naomi, Brian loves you. Always has, always will.’

  Naomi was touched. ‘I had you all wrong. I won’t be so quick to judge in future.’

  ‘Tory!’ Brian came racing towards them. ‘He’s awake.’

  ‘How much does he remember?’ Tory got to her feet as he reached them.

  ‘Well, he called me Brockwell.’

  Tory entered the house with her heart in her mouth. ‘How are you?’

  ‘Feeling more myself now, thanks.’ He smiled.

  ‘I’m so sorry, Miles.’

  ‘Please don’t apologise. You were right, even if you had confided in me, I wouldn’t have believed you … not in a million years. I have learnt much these past few days, about a great many things.’ Miles shook his head, unable to believe that after so many years of study and travel, one could still be naive to the ways of the world.

  Tory sat down opposite him, finding comfort in his resolve.

  ‘That’s some man you’re married to, talk about a lateral thinker! After being granted a glimpse of my past, I’m not surprised that you’ve been frustrated with me.’

  Tory noticed him trembling and pulled a large blanket from the back of the lounge to place around his shoulders. ‘Miles, I’m not entirely convinced that it was your past.’

  ‘But the time period I saw couldn’t have been later than …’

  ‘Sixth century.’

  ‘So that is the past, no?’

  Tory smiled and shook her head. ‘No. Time is an illusion, you won’t still be running your life around a clock when you’re dead, Miles. Your soul mind could choose to go anywhere, backwards, forwards or sideways — as in another dimension or an alternative reality. That would depend on what you were ready to conceive of and that which you needed to learn. I have already passed through all these different realms. I was born in the 1960s, but in a world far removed from this one … more polluted, with more prejudices, wars, hatred and greed than at present. I know I am not mistaken about this, as in the reality I originally stemmed from, Brian died four years ago.’

  Miles shook with another burst of awareness. He could almost feel his brain expanding to absorb all the possibilities. ‘You are a phenomenon.’

  Tory shook her head modestly. ‘I had very little to do with it.’

  Miles wasn’t referring to her travels, but to what she’d accomplished through them. He had seen her hailed as a queen and a goddess, a sensei and a warrior, a teacher and an adviser to kings — the same kings who had indeed changed the course of British history. ‘Maelgwn was right. I understand why you must return, and I would be honoured to have you and Rhun stay with me under the protection of this house and our forefathers until that time.’

  ‘Miles, that’s a lovely thing to say. Still it is I who art beholden.’ She crouched down before him and took his hands. ‘Thank you so much for understanding, but it’s close to eight months till summer solstice, so you’d better think about this a while.’

  He slowly shook his head, very calmly. ‘There is no question, not with that witch on the loose. You are staying here, even if I have to move out.’

  ‘Well then.’ Tory warmed to a smile. ‘We’ll see how we go.’

  Tory called her father in Oxfordshire, as Maelgwn had suggested, and passed on the message from Taliesin regarding Mahaud. Renford confessed that since she’d moved to Mon, he’d visited many of the sites that had been associated with Myrddin and had felt and seen nothing that would lead him to believe that he was who Maelgwn claimed.

  ‘Even Dinas Emrys?’ Tory asked.

  ‘Even there.’

  Tory couldn’t understand this at all. She insisted that her father must stop harbouring doubts and asked that he keep looking, as she knew Taliesin was never wrong.

  Life was very tranquil at the cottage in Aberffraw until one afternoon, late in December, when Teo showed up to pay Tory a visit. They’d spoken a couple of times on the phone since she’d left Oxfordshire, but he hadn’t mentioned driving up to Mon.

  ‘Teo, what a surprise!’ She met him in the garden, a little startled by his presence.

  ‘Hey sunshine.’ He climbed out of the car. ‘It was getting a bit chilly down home, so I thought I’d pay you a visit.’

  He was in a wonderful mood as he walked up to meet her, until he spied Miles standing in the doorway with Rhun. Teo came to a halt, his mood changing immediately. ‘I thought you’d gone away somewhere on business?’

  Miles didn’t know this guy very well, but he recalled Maelgwn hadn’t liked him much and in his arms Rhun became disgruntled at the sight of him. ‘What difference does it make?’

  ‘Miles.’ Tory cautioned him to stay out of it; this was none of his business.

  ‘Hey, what gives?’ Teo realised this wasn’t Tory’s husband at all, but someone who looked very much like him. ‘Are you living with this guy?’

  ‘We’re working together.’

  Teo backed up, seeming disillusioned with her. ‘Yeah right,’ he shook his head and headed back to the car.

  ‘Thanks so much for the benefit of the doubt. Think what you will then.’

  ‘If it’s all so innocent, why didn’t you tell me?’ Teo chose to pursue the argument, as he usually did, and Tory didn’t appreciate his tone of voice.

  ‘I don’t have to answer to you.’

  ‘Damn right, I’m history.’

  After taking a moment to get over her pride, Tory went after him. ‘Are you going back to Oxfordshire?’

  ‘What do you care?’ He slammed the car door as the engine roared to life. ‘Friends don’t hide things from each other.’ He glared into her eyes for a moment, and Tory was startled as his pupils flashed red.

  ‘No, Teo wait. Please!’ she cried as the car tore off down the drive.

  ‘Wow, what an arsehole.’ Miles came out to join her.

  ‘We’ve got to find him. I think I know where Mahaud has been hiding out.’

  26

  TYLWYTH TEG

  Their search proved fruitless. Tory called Brian at home to warn the family to keep an eye out for Teo. But she wasn’t sure what to advise them to do if they did meet up with him, beyond trying to act completely normal.

  Her father phoned her straight back to tell her about what he’d seen in her room when she was at Llyn Cerrig Bach that first time. He and Rose had just spoken, each about their experience that night. Between what Renford had witnessed and Rose’s nightmare, they had managed to piece together how the events they witnessed may have unfolded. Renford was sorry he hadn’t mentioned the occurrence sooner, but he’d convinced himself it must have been his imagination playing tricks on him.

  Tory had been right in saying that the witch couldn’t survive in the harmonious environment of the house, that’s why Teo chose to stay in the gym. This latest case of possession also explained why Teo was so much more himself when he was in frequent contact with her family. Tory supposed that her own disappearance, and Brian blaming him for it, might have been so traumatic that it created sufficient negativity around Teo for the witch to attach herself to him. Now Mahaud had only to feed Teo’s negativity with any mixture from her select menu of dead
ly emotions: hate, fear, jealousy, greed, pride, excess, lust, and the like. This sustained her until such time as Teo was evil enough to generate the right amount of negative energy to manifest her own wicked form. Teo was a mighty powerful soul and Tory didn’t like to think what could eventuate if Mahaud fully possessed such a warrior.

  This was what Teo meant when he’d said he wasn’t himself. He had repeatedly asked Tory to help him, but she hadn’t understood what kind of help he needed. She could see now why he was always touching her. Tory thought back to the day Teo had learnt of her return. During the course of their confrontation, as long as she’d been touching him he’d remained calm; the conflict of energy within him must have been what caused him to cry.

  Rose also brought to Tory’s attention the fact that Teo had chosen to visit the cottage at Mon on the last day of the thirteenth month, by the old calendar. The Nameless Day. The thought sent shivers down Tory’s spine. This was the time of the year when the Dark Queen, in her destructive aspect, was most powerful. Tory thanked the Goddess now that Miles had been present, or she surely would have invited Teo inside. This, no doubt, would have sealed her son’s fate. The power of the enchanted land where she was living to dispel evil would not apply if she invited an evil presence onto it.

  I have to be smarter than this, I should have known! Tory scolded herself, considering it was high time she sought professional help.

  She’d been mulling over Maelgwn’s instruction in regard to contacting the elementals of the Middle Kingdoms, or the Tylwyth Teg as he called them. She’d brought herself up to scratch on the nine laws, and now felt as ready as she would ever be to form such an alliance.

  Although the devas of the Otherworld were as varied as the more physical species of life on earth, they had four main groupings belonging to one or more of the four elements that constitute all physical matter.

  Salamanders were fire fairies that would appear to the naked eye as nothing more than the bright little sparks dancing around above a camp fire. They could be found in a soft burning candle flame, swaying before your eyes, relaxing your mind and your mood. But they could also manifest as a huge, raging monster, mercilessly laying waste to everything in its path. As Tory had grown up in Australia, she had come face to face with this element in the native bushland many times. Although the destruction did seem harsh, fire was simply part of nature’s replenishing process. She’d been told that fire, being the first element of creation, was also the least accommodating to humans. The Salamanders personified courage, creativity, valour, and loyalty — the traits most lacking in modern society. If one didn’t grasp these traits, it would be dangerous to seek Salamanders. Still, Taliesin had predicted that Tory should fare well with them.

  Sylphs, the devas of the air, were the second element of creation. They concerned themselves mostly with learning and the intellect, adaptability and travel, and anything to do with speed or thought. These elementals are commonly found floating about in the mists of Britain. In addition, they are the howling demons who couple with the other elements to incite storms of dirt, fire and water. Tory had always been an ardent student, and with all the travelling she’d been doing lately, she figured she and this element had a bit in common.

  The third element of creation was water, and its race was known as the Ondines. Tory believed she may have brushed with this clan on the night of her swim, as something had certainly been guiding her through the dark watery depths. These water devas concerned themselves mainly with emotions, one’s understanding, receptivity and sympathy.

  The Gnomes of the Earth represented the fourth element of creation. Tory had been born under the sign of Taurus, and as an Earth sign she showed the traits of practicality, conversation, thrift, and abundance.

  She had been advised that the key to communicating with any life form was to first win its favour and trust. The best way to do this was simply to offer something that the particular elemental might fancy or need, and then introduce yourself. What on earth would an element desire, Tory wondered. Maelgwn hadn’t worked with the fairy kingdoms much, although his mother had. He had advised Tory that the task of an elemental, besides its care of Mother Earth, was to try to obtain its four-fold nature. That is, the understanding of the other three elemental groups aside from that to which it already belonged. This was one of the few areas in which fairies found the human race could actually be of assistance to them, as people were made up of all four elements. Therefore, Tory considered at great length what she might offer the differing clans, to help them better understand the traits of the others.

  One evening, when Tory found she had the house to herself, she impatiently waited until dusk to perform the rites. Sunrise or sunset was the best time to attempt to communicate with the folk. Tory had chosen sunset because in Wiccan belief, this was the time for truth finding rather than new beginnings, as sunrise would suggest. So as the sun sank low in the sky, Tory headed to the beach bearing her gifts and enough wood to make a fire on the sand.

  Rhun was comfortably resting in his pouch against her chest, taking a great interest in what his mother was doing. So much so that Tory was forced to turn him round, so that he might have a better view and stop his squirming.

  Tory stood with the ocean to her west, as this was the water element’s associated direction. The fire was blazing to the south, while a mound of sand to her north represented the earth. She had borrowed a sword that usually hung on the wall of Miles’ living room, and she stuck it into the sand pointing east; in the sacred tarot and ritual of the druids, the air was represented and summoned by a sword.

  As she’d been advised to always address the elements in the order of their creation, Tory turned to face the fire and stated in the old tongue, ‘My name be Tory Alexander, Queen of Gwynedd, and messenger of the Goddess. Denizens of the Otherworld, I come before thee now, seeking thy wise counsel and protection.’

  Tory turned to each symbol and direction in turn.

  Come to my aid ye of Fire,

  the fire that first gave me life.

  Hear my plea, ye of Air,

  the breath of life that set me free.

  I seek thy comfort ye of Water,

  purge me and bring me clarity.

  Be my support ye of Earth,

  the mother that has always nurtured me.

  Rhun began to chuckle with delight, his arms outstretched as his eyes darted about in wonder; Tory was curious to know what he saw that she could not.

  She approached each symbol bearing the gift she wished to bestow, again in order of their creation. To the Fire she gave her pocket encyclopaedia, explaining that perhaps it might better understand the air’s great thirst for knowledge. She moved to the sword and tossed a tissue to the wind. This tissue held tears she’d shed when pining for her love. Tory expressed that she hoped the Sylphs might better grasp the emotional depths of water. Tory then wandered to the water’s edge and sprinkled it with fresh rose petals, so that the Ondines might experience some of the earth’s sweet pleasures. And lastly, in the mound of sand, Tory buried a handwritten copy of the small verse she’d used to request the presence of the elementals, as it was as close as she’d come to Fire’s creative talents of late. She’d wrapped inside the paper one of her rings, some Australian coins, and a few other little trinkets she thought they might like. Gnomes were very predisposed towards material possessions, and relished unusual bits and pieces made of any sort of metal, especially gold. She then returned to the centre of the circle and stated her woes in regard to Mahaud.

  Afterwards, Tory thanked the elementals in turn for listening. She requested politely that if any of them thought or heard of anything that might help to guard her child from the crone, to please let her know. She then bid them all good tidings and a goodnight.

  With her task completed she kicked sand on the fire to put it out, stamped the sandy mound down hard, and retrieved the sword, bowing to the ocean. She then wandered back to the house with Rhun, basking in the light of a b
eautiful moon. Although nothing miraculous had happened to prove she’d made contact with the occupants of the deva kingdoms, within herself, Tory felt closer to the divine, that unexplainable force from whence all life stems.

  The next day Tory rose before sunrise as usual, to feed and change Rhun before kata. Miles was up and about also and, after making himself a cup of tea, he took Rhun to escort Tory down to the beach.

  It was a beautiful morning, not cold at all. The dim sky was perfectly clear, as was the air. After Tory had kissed Rhun and continued on her way, Miles sat down with the baby on the stairs. This ritual had been the same every morning since the snow melted. Yet this day, for reasons unknown, Rhun began to cry as he watched his mother depart.

  Miles didn’t know what to do. This had never happened before. ‘Tory,’ he called her back. ‘Are you upset about something?’

  ‘No,’ she assured him as she jogged back up the stairs to see what the problem was, whereupon Rhun calmed down and was as sweet as pie. Tory shrugged, a little baffled, then turned to leave them once more, but before she’d reached the bottom step, Rhun began crying again. So Miles decided to follow Tory down to the beach, and Rhun seemed quite content to sit in Miles’ lap and watch.

  Tory hadn’t been at her exercise but five minutes when a mist came rolling in over the water. As it enveloped them, they were astonished to find that the haze gave host to hundreds of tiny balls of light.

  ‘Unbelievable,’ Miles said as the child in his arms began squealing with elation, openly reflecting his mother’s mind.

  ‘They must have liked our offerings, hey?’ Tory acknowledged Rhun’s excitement.

  ‘Tory.’ Miles’ face turned as pale as a sheet.

  She turned to see what had him scared him so, and at first glimpse Tory thought his horror was due to naught but a horse. Yet, as the animal came closer, she noticed the horn on its forehead. ‘What do I do?’ Tory said to Miles; she wasn’t good with animals.