Reagan (Hengist-People of the Horse Book 3)

by Jacky Gray

  24 Spirit Lines

  Malduc insisted they study the area in more detail before setting off on a quest which could be long and frustrating. ‘I cannot stress too highly the importance of this, Reagan. Before we even think about starting work on a new horse, we need to be sure it’s in the right place. As you can tell from the records, many of the horses have been moved or re-shaped.’

  ‘If we travel along the spirit line, it should be obvious.’

  ‘The line Kalen indicated is ten miles long. You will not be able to dowse it all in one day.’

  ‘No, but the most likely place is Clack Mount and we were merely going to follow it for five miles as far as Cam’s Hill.’

  Malduc was wary, wanting to consider all the options. ‘I’m not convinced it’s a pentagon. If you turn this ‘C’ shape upside down, and find two more positions, you could have a hexagon.’

  Reagan hadn’t realised this. ‘Oh.’

  ‘You must consider this possibility and draw up suggestions for the two new positions, please.’

  Kalen had been quiet until then and he took Reagan’s arm, almost pulling him up out of the chair as he said, ‘You’re right, it could be a wasted day. We’ll have a look at this first.’

  Reagan allowed himself to be ushered out of the room. As soon as the door closed, he wrenched his arm from Kalen’s steely grip and stomped off to the office, preparing to fight his corner as Kalen breezed in with, ‘We need to check this hexagon idea.’

  ‘But the shapes were definitely pentagons ...’

  ‘Could you give me the thirteen times table, please? Backwards from 169.’

  Reagan folded his arms and clamped his mouth shut mutinously, but Kalen wrote two words on a slate and flashed them in front of him. Blank mind. Blank mind?Of course, Malduc might be listening in. ‘169, 156, 143, 130, 117, 104 …’ He continued on as Kalen got a new sheet of tracing paper and clipped it over the map, marking on the four places they knew about and marking the main Aveburgh and Stonehenge monuments. He then rotated the sheet by 180°, lining up the Westburgh cross over Uffington and vice versa.

  Reagan held the tracing steady while Kalen marked crosses under the rotated Woodhenge and Ham Hill positions. He joined the six crosses to make a fairly regular hexagon.

  ‘What about if it’s a mirror image, not a rotated one?’

  ‘Good point. Mark those positions on a fresh sheet, please.’

  As they worked, Kalen picked up on Reagan’s desperate need to question what had happened and tried to distract him.

  ‘What do you know about crop patterns?’

  Reagan looked up from his task of marking in the Michael and Mary lines from the large scale map. ‘How do you mean? They appear in the fields, and each one contains a message relevant to someone or something, usually nearby.’

  ‘Interesting. Where did you learn this?’

  ‘I’m not sure. I could be wrong, but they always seem to appear in fields near the white horses or other monuments.’

  ‘That’s my experience. I have looked into the designs for some years now. One of the Oxford Professors has spent a lot of time and effort cataloguing each one.’

  ‘Sounds like a lifetime’s work with so many. What’s next?’

  Kalen had another map showing other earth spirit lines around Aveburgh and the surrounding areas, but they had their work cut out because it was drawn to a different scale.

  The idea of crop patterns piqued Reagan’s curiosity. ‘Did you speak to this professor?’

  ‘Which one?’ Kalen lost concentration and had to re-measure the distance before multiplying it by the scale factor.

  ‘The Oxford one. About the crop circles.’

  ‘Oh, yes. Fascinating man. Apparently, when the patterns are made, all the stalks bend at the same height and fall in the same instant, lining up in the direction needed for the pattern.’

  ‘They all bend in the same instant?’ Reagan paused and tried to visualise a pattern being made.

  ‘Yes. He described it as being like a tiny explosion near the bottom of the stalk. But they are not damaged and carry on growing.’

  ‘I heard one of the Outils talking about that and how the seeds were altered so that the next crop grew strong and disease-free. That’s why the farmers are so pleased to have a pattern in their field.’ His stomach rumbled as he finished the last line.

  The fine late-April day hinted at May temperatures, so Kalen’s suggestion they eat lunch by the river was not suspicious.

  The fact they didn’t stop until they were under Reagan’s special willow tree gave a clue to his mentor’s reasoning. ‘You think Willow will protect me from anyone trying to read my mind.’ He avoided mentioning the elder’s name.

  ‘These pasties are delicious. Eat yours while it’s still warm.’

  Reagan understood immediately. Kalen wasn’t sure if his mind would be similarly protected; he had no special link to the tree. Also, he’d been working closely with Malduc for longer giving a stronger connection. Thinking carefully, Reagan tried to make his words sound as innocent as possible. ‘I really think the hexagon is wrong; everything points to the pentagon.’

  ‘You seem very sure. Explain.’

  ‘Firstly, the fact the horse at Seagry is so close to the spirit line. It’s as though whoever decided where to put it was in the right area, but connected with a different line.’

  ‘You could be right.’ Kalen pulled a large bottle of juice from his bag. ‘There is a line from the rude man near Dorchester which passes through Chippenham and Cirencester. We need to mark it on the map.’

  ‘Do you think Malduc could send someone else?’

  ‘Unlikely. As well as the Beltane preparations, there is the strange plague which has affected so many children in the area.’

  ‘I know, I thought some of my friends might be affected, but Taryn told me it was a false alarm.’ Reagan took a drink of juice.

  ‘So far there are no cases in Aveburgh, but it’s only a matter of time and some parents are taking their children out of lehren.’

  ‘That’s not good.’

  ‘No. And dealing with all this is taking a lot of Malduc’s energy and attention.’

  ‘Which is probably why he’s acting so stressed lately. I’ve never seen him so angry.’

  ‘I couldn’t possibly comment.’

  Smiling at his mentor’s cheeky grin, Reagan took a bite of his pasty, the tasty combination of chopped meat, vegetables and herbs helping to restore his natural good humour. They chewed in companionable silence as they thought through the problem. Reagan remembered about the number five cropping up.

  Kalen wasn’t convinced. ‘Didn’t you say the numbers of poorly children in the villages were all factors of six?’

  ‘That’s true. But why am I seeing pentagons, not hexagons? And why did Blaise stop at Seagry, the fifth place?’

  ‘You said she stopped before when you didn’t recognise the place? She could have intended to take you to a sixth site.’

  ‘I hadn’t thought of that. What do you think?’

  ‘With arguments for both, I’d need more evidence before deciding either way. In the meantime, we must obey Malduc.’

  ‘Even if we think he is wrong?’

  ‘I’m afraid so. He is the most senior Magi in the village and is respected by many communities as a great statesman.’

  ‘But it doesn’t mean he can’t make a mistake.’

  ‘We are all capable of making mistakes, Reagan.’

  Returning to the task, they came up with a possible site on a small hill near Slaughterford. The sixth point of Malduc’s hexagon fell on a flat area just east of a large lake. Apart from a small hill just outside the town of Cricklade, the whole area did not look promising.

  After extending some of the other earth spirit lines, Reagan conceded he may have made a mistake. One of the longest followed a track from Old Sarum at Salisburgh through the white horse at Milk Hill and the centre of the henge at Aveburgh. Continuin
g the line northwards, it ran to Cricklade, one of the points on the hexagon. He called Kalen over. ‘It looks like Malduc could be right; this line goes through Cricklade.’

  ‘The evidence builds. Looks like it passes through the Broad Town horse as well. Tegan has a pamphlet with the locations of some of the northern horses. Back soon.’

  Placing a ruler on Slaughterford, Reagan’s face fell as he realised this too was an extension of the earth spirit line which ran through the Cherhill and Ham Hill white horses via the sanctuary at Aveburgh. He connected a few more of the monuments together so when Kalen came back the map displayed a mess of criss-crossing lines.

  ‘That’s helpful. I can’t make out anything.’

  Reagan began to outline some of the important alignments, starting with the Cherhill horse. ‘Do you see this? There are two spirit lines passing through her position. Most of them have two.’

  Kalen studied it. ‘I’m sure we’ll find at least two for many of the other horses as well. Malduc’s just told me he wants us to spend the next two days checking the sites at Slaughterford and Cricklade to make sure any possible site must have at least two earth spirit lines passing through it.’

  ‘What about if they all have two spirit lines running through them? How would we decide then?’

  ‘I’m sure Blaise will point you in the right direction.’

  25 Just Being Friendly

  ‘Are you sure this is a spirit line? I can’t sense anything at all.’ Kalen was frustrated after two days spent chasing the elusive vibrations. ‘Oh look, a tiny twitch, but it’s not exactly a powerful sign is it?’

  ‘There’s no pleasing you, is there? On Wodensday you weren’t happy because the water made the hazel twitch like you had some kind of palsy.’

  ‘Cheeky brat. Anything there?’

  ‘Yes and no.’

  ‘What do you mean? Can’t you find the line?’

  ‘That one stopped at the top of this hill.’ Reagan moved a pace left. ‘There is another line but it’s completely different.’

  ‘How do you mean, different?’

  ‘It’s hard to describe. It’s as though the vibrations have a different colour. No, that’s not it.’

  ‘Do you mean they sound different?’

  ‘Not exactly. I don’t really hear them, although I suppose of all the senses, it’s probably the closest.’ Reagan tried to explain. ‘It’s as though I’m feeling – no that’s the wrong word. I’m detecting it with all of my senses at once so it looks, sounds and feels different to the other line.’

  ‘What, you can’t taste or smell it? Shame on you.’

  ‘Strange you should say that, I do get a slightly metallic taste in my mouth for this one. Have a go.’

  As Kalen held his hazel twig over the ground, Reagan followed the line to the edge of a small wood. Peering into the distance, he smiled in recognition. They didn’t get much more powerful than this one.

  ‘You’re right, this one is a lot easier.’ Kalen followed Reagan’s gaze. ‘Oh heavens. Is that what I think it is?’

  ‘The Fosse.’

  ‘One of the longest Roman roads in the country.’

  ‘The longest I think.’ Reagan admired the long, straight track. ‘But it doesn’t cross the spirit line we were following.’

  ‘And all the hills around here are covered in trees.’

  ‘Unless Malduc’s thinking of clearing them out.’

  ‘I think he would do anything to stop these accidents. When it involves children, people get really worked up.’ Kalen had experienced their passion.

  ‘I think we’ve gone as far as we need to in this direction, we can start heading back to Slaughterford.’

  ‘We need to check the sight line. Not much point having a way marker if you can’t see it’s there.’

  ‘Good point.’ Reagan scanned the horizon for hills.

  ‘I think the inn at Biddeston would make a good sighting point.’

  ‘I’m beginning to see how this works. It’s not simply about how sacred the site is, but the geographical and economic considerations as well.’

  ‘Perish the thought. It doesn’t hurt to have a good position which will benefit the most people. And if the view of a sacred horse will attract a few more customers to the inn, I don’t think that would cause any problems.’

  Reagan looked sceptical. ‘You wouldn’t be after a free ale or two, would you?’

  ‘Not at all. You may notice there are quite a few inns within the sight lines of the white horses. It’s not a bad thing to keep people in touch with important things like prayers even as they relax with an ale.’

  ‘But if the innkeeper showed his gratitude you wouldn’t refuse it.’

  ‘Absolutely not. I never knowingly refuse free ale.’

  Reagan grinned. He enjoyed spending time with the man he regarded as an older brother. Even if he did behave like a younger brother at times. Like now, flirting with the innkeeper’s daughter as she took their orders.

  ‘You are terrible. What about Reeve?’

  ‘Is she here?’ He pretended to look round, his face the very picture of innocence. ‘I’ll get her a drink, too.’

  ‘Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about. Do you think she’d be happy if I told her what you were doing with that girl.’

  ‘Ordering food? I’m sure she’d approve.’

  ‘You know what I mean. Teasing and flirting.’

  ‘Me? Flirting? Never. Just being friendly.’

  ‘Would you be that friendly if Reeve were here?’

  ‘Probably. Why wouldn’t I be? Reeve is happy that while she and I are courting I would not look at any other girl in that way. I respect her too much.’

  ‘But how would you feel if she was that friendly with the innkeeper?’

  ‘I would think she was trying to get a reduction in price, nothing more. He is old enough to be her father.’

  ‘His son then.’

  ‘I would think she might be getting broody.’

  Reagan looked over where he pointed. The innkeeper was talking to a lad of six or seven and he playfully cuffed him round the head. Sighing, Reagan’s gaze landed on a table of farm workers, one of whom wore a short tabard which showed off his bronzed muscles. ‘Him then, golden boy over there.’

  Kalen’s glance took in the blond good looks and swagger as he stretched his arms over his head, preening for the girl as she approached. ‘I would think she needed some muscle for her workshop.’

  ‘And that wouldn’t bother you?’

  ‘Not at all. She likes her man to string a few sentences together. She would never go for the dumb blond type.’

  Reagan laughed. He would never beat Kalen at this game.

  ‘You certainly won’t. At least not until next year. Then you’ll be besting me at everything.’

  ‘Really? Do you think so?’

  ‘Absolutely. If the last week is any indication of your abilities, I fear I shall soon be learning from you.’

  Reagan blushed at the unexpected compliment as the girl came up with their plates of bread, cheese and ham. She made a fuss of Reagan, asking if he wanted some soused vegetables. Trying her best to persuade him, she gushed about the spicy recipe passed down from her grandmother. She completely ignored Kalen who mentioned several times he would like to try them.

  ‘I think you’ve made a conquest there,’ Kalen whispered as she finally left them to eat.

  ‘I don’t think so. She simply had a bit of fun at my expense because I blushed.’

  ‘Not at all. She wasn’t that persistent with me and I was being very friendly.’

  ‘But she’s much closer to your age than mine.’

  ‘I don’t think so. Can’t be much above twenty.’

  ‘But she acts a lot older.’

  ‘That’s working in an inn for you. She has to put up with that sort of stuff.’ He nodded over to where the blond lad had grabbed her waist and pulled her down onto his lap. She protested, but the b
ig smile said she enjoyed his attention.

  ‘Should we help her or something?’ Reagan looked alarmed as the lad tickled her until she squealed.

  ‘I think she’s doing a good enough job on her own.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘She’s been trying to get his attention since we walked in here. She tried flirting with me to make him jealous, but he obviously decided I was too old for him to worry about. So then she made a play for you and he didn’t like that at all.’

  ‘But surely he would not see me as competition.’

  ‘He doesn’t know you’re only a junior, you could be a few years older. You certainly talk as though you are.’

  Reagan shook his head, trying to take it all in. He had no experience at all with girls. Apart from Amiera and Rowena, but they were far more like sisters.

  ‘Amiera and Rowena? You think you have no experience with girls and yet here you are getting warm at the thought of two of them.’

  ‘I was not getting warm.’

  ‘No, positively hot actually. That’s not Cedric’s daughter Rowena is it?’

  ‘Not you, too! My family are obsessed about it. I’m sure Mother’s already dowsing for the handfasting date.’

  ‘But you prefer Amiera.’

  ‘Yes, but … I mean no. I like them both as friends.’

  ‘But Amiera’s the one you’d like to be more than a friend.’

  Reagan blushed again and once more, the girl appeared to refill their beakers. But this time she said nothing to either of them, keeping her eyes on the other table all the time.

  ‘See, that’s women. So fickle. I feel quite used by the hussy.’

  ‘No you don’t. You can’t decide whether to stay here for pudding or not.’ Reagan was relieved to drop the subject of his romantic associations, but regretted the thought as Kalen picked up on it and returned to the topic. Somehow, he managed to make it last all the way home, regaling Reagan with tales of his own adventures with the fairer sex, giving advice on the right things to do and say in various situations. Advice Reagan hoped to remember when he needed it.

  26 Helen & Joan

  After such a heavy week, Reagan punched the air in victory when Kalen said they could leave the reports until Moonday.