Gendred sputtered and looked to Comlin who said nothing. "It can't be true, can it? You aren't serious! Redgrave was killed all those years ago. Burned to death in his mansion! Burned...." Brent watched a light flicker in Gendred's eyes. Ah, he is putting it together now, he thought. "The fire. His burns...he couldn't have survived."
"Oh, I assure you he did," said Brent.
"How can you know?" asked Gendred, disbelief still evident on his face.
"Because I was the one that saved him."
Comlin started. "You saved him? You did? How?"
"I was only a young officer then. I was there and watched as his children and wife had their throats slit in front of him. The Lord Protector ordered the bodies tossed into the fire and then they threw Redgrave, alive, in after them. He escaped through the root cellar. I found him there and nursed him back to health."
"And the chest?" asked Comlin.
"He recovered in my house in Munsten. Once he was well he snuck in and raided the treasury. Said it was the best way to hurt the Protector. That is what I expected to find here. Thousands of gold crowns."
"And you didn't, did you. You found copper pence. Not even one groat."
"Correct."
"Which means the gold is still in Munsten," replied Comlin. Brent was impressed with the speed at which the Reeve was putting this all together.
"Yes, somewhere. I need to find it."
Comlin went over and fingered the rank on the armour. "How'd the assassin find out?"
"Find out what?"
"How'd he find out Bill Redgrave was hiding out here."
"He didn't. The Church did. They followed the coin."
"The gold?"
"No. The coin I sent Bill. A particular coin. It had a three armed symbol on it." Brent pulled his wooden amulet out and held up the side with the triskelion on it. "Like this. Bill asked me about it and I just happened to come across one. I sent it down here to him. They tracked it here to Jaipers to try and recover it. They killed him for it."
Comlin came over and held the amulet and looked at the symbol. He turned it over and saw the symbol of the Church. He looked up at Brent and raised an eyebrow. "Who are they?" He released the amulet. Brent tucked it back into his shirt where it lay against his chest.
"The Church of the New Order. Now the coin is gone and Bill is dead. They have a Sect. Led by a fellow called Seth Farlow. They wear black boots. "
"Black boots. The man who killed Bill wore black boots. Hold on a second." Comlin reached into his tunic and pulled out the note he had received earlier. He examined the broken wax seal and uncurled the short note. His eyes scanned the page quickly and he looked up to Brent. "Well, the coin isn't here anymore."
"Where is it?"
"In Jergen. Turns out the Church is still looking for that coin and the owner."
"The owner?"
"Yes, the young man I spoke of earlier? He has it and what's more, he can use it."
"Use it?"
They were interrupted by a bang on the front door and a hoarse cry for Captain Gendred. Gendred looked up and they rushed down the stairs. In the doorway was one of the garrison soldiers, he was covered in blood and holding his midsection with both arms held tight.
"Sir, we've been attacked!" Blood was pouring between his arms.
"Attacked? By whom!" ordered Gendred.
"From within, sir! The garrison is killing the newcomers and we're fighting ourselves! The barracks are on fire! Sir, I..." The man slumped to the floor and let go of his midsection. His insides poured out onto the floor. He had been eviscerated, the smell ghastly in the front hall of the house. James rushed to his side and checked his pulse and shook his head.
"He's dead."
Forty
Rigby Farm, 900 A.C.
NADINE AND I walked back to the main farmhouse with Katherine and Dog. We finished a tour of the main outbuildings and the fields surrounding the central area. It was a beautiful day and the farm had been remarkable to see.
"Your dad came up with the hub and spoke concept for fields?" I asked Katherine.
"Yes. He told everyone it came to him in a dream one night. He said he floated above the ground and looked down and saw a wagon wheel design. The main farmhouse in the middle and radiating out fields of different plants and rotation. The river running through helps and we managed to irrigate the fields with hand and wind pumps. We grow just about everything here. Lots of grass for livestock, but wheat, barley, and oats, too. Vegetable fields, as well. Potatoes, carrots, and turnips. Everything to get you through winter. We provide most of the produce this side of Lakeside. Jergen ships it to Munsten and who knows where else."
I could hear the pride in her voice and I stole a glance at her. Through the bond, I could sense she was hiding something. "What else, Katherine?"
Katherine looked shyly over at me. "I. Ahem. I was involved, too. The farm wasn't always this way. Before it was just fields that they planted in. No order to it. They were militia pretending to be farmers. They knew nothing. When I was old enough to be able to convince my ma and da, I told them what they should be doing. Da said later he had the vision, but I think it was me that gave him it."
Nadine laughed at that. "Men," she said. "All alike. Always claiming ideas for their own."
"That's not true, love," I answered automatically. "I've never laid claim to something that wasn't mine first."
"Hmm. Well, perhaps there are exceptions. I'll allow that."
"Allow that? Who gave you the power to allow anything, old woman!"
Nadine growled and tried to punch me again. I twirled away and avoided it. "Ha!"
"Ha, yourself, young man!"
"Why do you say that?" asked Katherine.
Nadine looked over to her. "Say what, dear?"
"Old woman and young man. You're my age, Nadine. And yet you talk to me like my mother does."
Nadine pursed her lips. "Do you not sense me through the bond, girl?"
"Yes, I do."
"And what does it tell you?"
Katherine scrunched her eyes closed. Nadine gave a withering look to me and I smiled and shrugged. "You don't need to close your eyes, girl," she admonished her. I frowned a little at the tone.
"I know, it's just easier for me. I can concentrate better." Katherine stopped walking and Nadine sighed and waited.
In a moment, Katherine opened her eyes and made a petulant sound. "I can't tell," she complained. "It's too complicated. Not at all like the horses and sheep and stuff."
"Nothing in life is easy. People are just more complicated than animals," answered Nadine with a hint of patronising. "Come along, we have a long walk back."
Katherine caught up and gave Nadine a scowl. "See what I mean? You talk to me like you're so much older than I. You aren't. You and Will are the same age as me."
Nadine blew air out her mouth. "Actually, no, I'm not. I was sixty-two..."
"Seven," I interrupted.
"Two," said Nadine glaring at me. "Gaea gave me my youth back. And my health."
"Mum said that but I didn't believe her," gasped Katherine. "It's true? Will? Is it true?"
"Yes, Katherine. It is. I fell in love with an old woman and she robbed the cradle of a young man. Terribly inappropriate."
"Hmm, yes," purred Nadine and stole a kiss from me and ran off a ways, looking back to see if I would chase her. Dog ran after her barking and I laughed and followed.
"Why can't I get a straight answer from those two?" asked Katherine to the air.
An hour or so later, supper was eaten and the plates washed and stacked. Nadine and I were sitting on a swing set out by the farm windmill. The windmill was a miracle of the Word and pumped water from the well to the livestock barns nearby. Ben had tried to explain it to me but apparently I wasn't mechanically inclined, whatever that was. I found it peaceful here and I was reminded of Nadine's home in Jergen. The sun would be setting soon and I hoped that when I was finished speaking to her she would be willing to se
e another with me.
She knew something was wrong and I struggled to find a way to broach the subject. Truth was, I wasn't too sure myself what the problem was. I needed to talk to her openly about it. She and I needed to agree to the next steps and why they were important. Daukyns always told me to simply take small bites when faced with a large problem, and I meant to do that, I just didn't know where to start.
"Nadine, I..."
"You're upset with me."
I grew quiet. I wasn't upset. I was, something else. Not sure. "I don't think so. Not upset exactly. I need to say something to you and I don't know how to and I'm afraid I will mess this up."
"Will, you're afraid to lose me. You won't. I'm too old for mincing words. Something is bothering you. I can sense it through the bond. Tell me, love. You won't lose me. We'll figure it out. I haven't spent a lifetime looking for someone like you to lose you only after a couple of months."
I felt her love through the bond. I was still afraid. I took a deep breath and started. "Well, the way you talk to Katherine. It's a little harsh."
"Harsh?"
"Yes, you speak to her like she's a child. You roll your eyes and sigh all the time. That's not helpful."
"Not helpful?" Her voice rose a little in pitch.
"Yes, love. Just...just hear me out. I don't have the answers. I can only follow what I think is right. Daukyns used to teach me all the time. Despite his love of his own voice, he always made me feel like I was worth teaching. Made me want to do better — for him to be proud of me. He inspired me."
"And I don't. Is that what you are trying to say? I don't inspire Katherine?"
"No. Wait. Yes. I guess?"
"Will Arbor, you better explain yourself better than that!"
"Nadine, how were the young draoi — the Duilleogs and Craobhs — how were they taught before?"
Nadine grew quiet trying to remember the past. We continued to swing for a time and I heard Dog barking in the house before being told to 'shush' by Katherine. They were a pair, Dog and Katherine. She had a way with animals that was a marvel to see. It was her strength, I realised, and felt a piece of the puzzle click in place.
I thought perhaps Nadine had forgotten the question when she finally responded, making me jump a little. The sun had maybe twenty minutes left before it disappeared over the horizon. "It was a long time ago but I remember it well. Sorry, I was remembering all the tricks and ways of teaching the draoi. It was a simple set-up to tell you the truth. Traditional and as old as the draoi themselves. We divided the draoi by sex. Girls in one class and boys in another. They learned differently, you see. Boys couldn't stay focused for long.
First, they were taught traditions and lore. I taught the girls and sometimes the boys. We taught history, plant lore, rules of the powers. All academic topics. It was important to understand what the draoi were meant to be. How they were supposed to interact with the world."
"How did you do that without powers of your own?"
Nadine shot me a look. Surprise and anger mixed together.
"Nadine, no offence, you know that. I am trying to understand something. First, I need to understand how you taught the draoi before."
Nadine nodded and smiled an apology at me. "Sorry. Still sensitive, I suppose. To answer you, I had no practical method of teaching. I had the manuscript and the knowledge. I passed it on to the new draoi."
"That must have been hard for you. And for them."
"Well, yes. It was hard for me. It was hard to stay motivated to the subject when I knew I would never be able to use the power. Why do you think it was hard for them?"
"Did you resent them?"
"Who the students? No, never."
I turned and took her hands in mine. "Are you sure? It sounds like you were jealous of their power and yet you had to teach them. Perhaps?" I pushed love down our bond to lessen the hurt of the question.
"Perhaps. I don't know. I never thought so and never questioned myself about that."
"So the draoi were separated, taught by someone with no powers, no understanding of the challenges they faced in controlling those powers, and then felt jealousy from their teacher."
Nadine threw down my hands. "Will Arbor!" I sensed and saw the flare of her anger. I had hurt her, deeply. But I couldn't stop. I had to get this out in the open.
"When I was with Daukyns he taught me that only those who truly had gained knowledge could teach that knowledge to others. It wasn't fair to you that they made you teach those draoi all those years ago. You were not in a position to help them. We can't do that again. We need skilled draoi teaching the others. Surely you can see that. It can never be a competition. This is important, Nadine. You and I are about to set the standard for future generations of draoi. We need to develop practical methods of teaching and standardise how we assess our students.
I believe that Gaea provides powers unique to each individual she touches. You and I need to investigate that more. If it's true, and I think it is, then our teaching methods will need to be varied to the individual and like individuals. There can't be girl classes and boy classes. There need to be teachers unique to each skill set. Take Katherine for example."
"Katherine? What about her?"
"What is her speciality do you think?"
"Speciality? There are no specialities. All draoi have the same abilities. Some stronger than others, but the same. It is all part of the balance."
"No, Nadine. I don't...I can't believe that. It is about harmony. Harmony!"
"Harmony? Balance is harmony. We use our magycs to effect the balance of the world. To keep it stable."
I took a deep breath. "Nadine, Katherine can work magyc with animals. She understands them so deeply, so intimately. She knows intuitively what is wrong with them, what they need, how to provide their harmony. Watch her with Dog and the horses. Sense her through the bond. It's wonderful. Then watch her try to make sense of human interactions. She has no idea how to make sense of it. It is her blind spot of her power. We need to be able to recognise those strengths in the draoi and nurture them and trust them to apply their skills in the world. We aren't going to be teachers, we are going to be guides."
Nadine looked at me in wonder. "You can't mean that. Will, you've only just come into your power. How can you be sure of all that? The draoi have been teaching draoi for hundreds of years. Will, surely you see that the old ways were the best ways? Our magyc is a miracle from Gaea. It has the power to change the world. We need to teach control of that power."
I shook my head. "Druid powers are nothing more than the application of the Word and its principals. Just because we don't understand how it works doesn't make it magyc! The draoi need to move out into the world and be part of it. No more hiding in the shadows. We teach the draoi to gain confidence in their powers and strengths. We have to show people those powers and gain their trust."
"You want the draoi to expose themselves to the world? Oh Will, that's what destroyed us! The Church hunted us down."
"No, it was your secrecy that destroyed you. If you had been part of the world — accepted by the world — the Church could never have wiped you out. Not again. When we come to strength, we will need to show the people of the Realm not to be afraid of magyc and our powers. We must use it to bring harmony to the Realm. To restore order but by accepting all that is nature."
"You would willingly expose the draoi to the world?"
"Yes, Nadine I would and I will. I think that is exactly what Gaea wants. That and harmony."
"I don't understand. I heard Gaea speak to you about harmony. You pleased her. But how? For generations, the draoi have pursued balance. Why now? Why suddenly start speaking of harmony? Why abandon balance?"
"I have an idea about that." I truly did have an idea but, honestly, it frightened me more than a little. "First, I have an opinion about harmony and balance. They are different. Let me explain.
Draoi have, for years, been willing to destroy one thing to provide balance to the wh
ole. That is actually contrary to nature. Nature finds a way to let everything co-exist for the greater harmony. You have to accept those parts you don't like. The rabbits would love to see the foxes all disappear. But without the foxes, they would breed too much and eat all their food sources. They would die. They need to accept the harmony."
"I would call that balance, Will."
"You're missing the point. When people think of balance they think of two objects of equal weight on a scale. This is the desired state. Symmetry. Balance. Equality. Harmony is something more. Harmony is how all parts of a system work together as a whole or as parts of a whole. If someone were to place a small weight on a scale, you would need to remove an equal weight from the other side in order to maintain that balance. You would need to be willing to give something up to maintain the balance. In the end, you are not likely to arrive at a system that brings any balance to your life or to nature.
Imagine if in order to maintain balance you had to give up one of your children. The loss of the child brings balance, but destroys the balance of your life. There is no harmony in that. Balance requires sacrifice. Harmony requires acceptance and adjustment.
Nature is full of strife and challenges. Nature has learned to work through these challenges and accept them. With harmony, you must accept the good with the bad. Sometimes there is sacrifice, but more often you merely adjust. It's okay that there may be more weight on one side of the scale than the other. Who says it has to be in balance perfectly? We should find a way to work around it. We pursue harmony instead and life should become that much more enjoyable."
The sun touched the horizon and the shadows stretched before it.
"Nadine, I think Gaea started off thinking balance was the right path. After a time, she was sacrificing too much of herself and far too often. She seeks harmony now. She is willing to accept the bad with the good and find a way to co-exist. The draoi, for years, have been willing to destroy one thing to provide balance to a whole. This is contrary to nature. Nature finds a way to let everything co-exist for the greater harmony. You have to accept those parts you don't like. Gaea is learning that."
Leaf and Branch (New Druids Series Vol 1 & 2) Page 65
