Selwyn stood to have a better look around the clearing. ‘Will ye not show thyselves?’
We art standing in plain view of thee, informed the pompous voice, with a chuckle.
Selwyn frowned, not in any mood to be toyed with. ‘Art thou very small, then?’
Nay, lad, thundered a third voice, we art very tall.
As the sound of laughter came at the Merlin from all sides, setting him in a spin, the source suddenly dawned on him. ‘The trees,’ he said, falling onto his back in the dirt once more.
The overhanging branches of the huge oaks made it seem as if they were leaning over to see how he fared.
‘So, ’tis true then. Trees do have a consciousness,’ Selwyn mumbled, thinking back to the great Merlin, Myrddin, and his teachings about the wisdom of trees.
Well, if trees have a presence in Annwn, does it not stand to reason that they have souls, too? the pompous-sounding tree put forward.
The druid gave a vague nod, considering that perhaps he’d just found himself a new course of study. A spell in the wilderness would get him away from all those who would wish to question him about his night in Annwn and keep him close to nature should Amabel find an opportunity to seek him out.
The Merlin’s train of thought was broken as he sensed someone looming at close quarters. When Selwyn realised it was the Queen of Gwynedd, he scurried to his feet and bowed his head low. ‘Forgive me, Highness, I did not know it wast thee.’
‘Thou art forgiven,’ she assured him, remaining seated.
How could she be so calm with him after all the trouble he’d caused her? Then it occurred to Selwyn that she didn’t remember, that’s why she was here. ‘I do not want to speak of it,’ he said, ‘not now, or ever. Nor shall I write of it …’
I allowed the PME orb to drop into my lap, but I remained as I was a moment — seated still, eyes closed in deep repose.
‘Are you alright, Noah?’ Tory inquired.
I parted my eyelids to view her and smiled triumphant, even though that was not how I felt.
‘You remembered?’ Tory questioned with much excitement, and I nodded. ‘All of it?’ she ventured, having wondered about the night in question for eighty years.
I shrugged and nodded again. ‘I believe so … pretty much, anyway.’
‘May I?’
Tory referred to the orb, and I was almost of the mind to allow her to view the experience, until I remembered Maelgwn speaking about a blue lady he would one day hold strong feelings for. ‘I would like to run through it again myself first.’ I snatched up the orb and placed it in my bag. ‘I’ll get a completed copy to you asap, I promise.’
Tory looked a little wary about my reluctance to hand over the thought-recorder, but Taliesin spoke up to prevent her questioning me further.
So, let me ask you, Noah. In retrospect, who would you say was right about the true nature of Amabel? Gwyn ap Nudd or Selwyn?
I found Taliesin’s question a perplexing one and as I honestly couldn’t discern the answer, I went with what I wanted to believe. ‘Selwyn.’
Then answer me this. Why would Gwyn ap Nudd have lied to Maelgwn about the true nature of Amabel, when the king’s memory of that conversation was soon after completely erased?
It was a very good question that there was only one answer for. ‘He sought Maelgwn’s honest advice … Gwyn ap Nudd was telling the truth about her!’ I was infuriated as I suddenly realised Selwyn had spent ten years searching for a nymph to whom he meant little, if anything at all.
Taliesin appeared sorry to have to confirm my horror. I too fell victim to her siren song once, and would have gladly given up my life’s work to stay with her in Annwn.
‘I knew you remembered more of your siren lover than you let on,’ Tory cut in, intrigued to be back in a conversation that she and Taliesin had started in the Dark Ages. ‘What saved you from her?’
Not what, but who, Taliesin replied. Gwyn ap Nudd got me out.
My heart jumped into my throat as he said this, although I felt it was more Selwyn’s shock I was experiencing than my own. ‘Just as he got me out,’ I mumbled, hardly realising that I had. ‘Still, he did lead me to her in the first place.’
You can lead a horse to water, Noah, but you can’t make it drink, advised the ascended Master. We were a couple of the lucky ones. Other men have disappeared into Annwn following the siren song, and never been seen again.
‘So, it was all just a test,’ I decided. ‘A test of resolve, a test of character.’
As are all of life’s hardships and disappointments. Elementary, my good man, Taliesin concluded. So, that would be all of your questions answered in regard to this matter, yes?
Upon brief contemplation, I was now satisfied with the material I had for my chronicle. ‘Thank you, High Merlin, for making it all clear. I feel Selwyn is most grateful.’
Taliesin waved off the thanks. Selwyn made good of his life in any event. It pleases me that the truth was finally brought to light. The Kings of allied Briton outshone themselves the night Gwyn ap Nudd’s mist besieged Gwent Is Coed and Dyfed. The event has been too long absent from the pages of history. Let it now be told for all the children of the Chosen to learn from.
‘I shall see to it, personally.’ I smiled, feeling that I had been lightened of a great load.
A few days ago I hadn’t even realised the amount of emotional baggage I carted around with me, and only God knew how much more suppressed rubbish I still had squashed away in the dark recesses of my psyche. But for the moment, gravity seemed to be working with me and I was happy to have all the information I needed for the first of my three new chronicles. Life was good.
PART 2
A Tale from the Space Age
Character List
CHAILIDA — KILA
Author of the Chronicles
Noah Purcell
Governor
Maelgwn Gwynedd
Governess
Tory Alexander
THE ATEN
City Ruler
Marduk
Dragon Commander
Maelgwn Gwynedd
Technical Officer
Cadwallon
Co-pilot/Navigator
Cadwell
Pilot
Robin
Dragon Squad 2IC
Candace
Communications
Boadicea
Munitions
Talynn
ET Communications
Vanora
Tracking Systems Analyst
Rebecca
Seer
Sybil
Personal Assistant to Marduk
Dylan
Scribe to Marduk
Seshut
THE MAZUA — LURA
City Ruler
Gibal
Personal Assistant to Gibal
Cornelin
Personal Assistant to Cornelin
Uriah
Lab Assistant to Gibal
Aquilla
Head of Security
Zerrah
Male Leonine official
Barnabus
Female Leonine official
Serena
ELIMA — LAARSA
City Ruler
Inanna
Inanna’s Brother
Shamesh
9
Close Encounters
A couple of days after my trek back into the Dark Age, I was still procrastinating over how much of Selwyn’s otherworldly experience I should make our Governess privy to. Tory would be wondering, by now, where the copy of the thought-recording I promised her was.
I had sent a couple of urgent messages to the Governor, asking him to contact me as soon as possible. Tory may have already been aware of Maelgwn’s ‘blue lady’. I had no way of knowing if she was in our Governor’s past or future at this point in time. I could never imagine the Dragon seeking the love of any woman but his wife, but I thought I should discuss the matter with him before it went any furthe
r.
It had occurred to me to just erase this piece of information from the chronicle, but it would leave a very obvious void in the tale, something Tory would pick up on at once.
Hence, I was stuck in this very sticky situation of having to avoid our Governess until Maelgwn made contact. And, as feared, our Governess was not to be eluded easily.
Tory attended my modern history lecture, which that afternoon was on the topic of the founding of our great city. The Governess’ presence was of such delight and intrigue to my students that the lesson wound up being a forum on the Dark Ages — for that was, without doubt, the most popular period of history with all who studied at the Purcell Institute.
‘Thanks for taking my class this afternoon,’ I joked with Tory, once the students had been dismissed.
She sighed, waving to the last of the pupils who was on his way out the door. ‘I enjoy going back to the Dark Ages also.’
Was that a hint? ‘I suppose you’re here for the chronicle I promised.’ I tried to act casual and stalled by moving to get my bag.
‘If it’s ready,’ Tory hinted, as if this wasn’t the real reason she’d come to see me, but that as she was here she may as well pick up the orb.
‘Well, actually.’ I grabbed the opportunity to make an excuse. ‘I have to apologise for my tardiness, but I haven’t had the chance to get to it yet.’ The look of disappointment on her face urged me to offer. ‘But if you’d like to accompany me back to my chambers here, I could do it for you now … it won’t take long.’
‘Would you?’ she accepted, with a smile.
‘Of course,’ I conceded, considering I would give her the edited version of the tale, and worry about how I was going to avoid Tory’s inquiries into the omitted data later.
Whilst my undergraduate distracted the Governess with tea in my main chamber, I did my best to edit the recording. I rearranged a little bit of data so that the omission was not as obvious as it might have otherwise been. At least I had something to give Tory; if I appeared too elusive about what I had learned, I would only draw attention to that which I endeavoured to keep secret.
As I returned to my main chamber bearing the orb, my novice quietly left us. ‘And there you have it.’ I handed it over to the recipient.
Tory accepted the orb as if it were a jewel. ‘Thanks for this, Noah. You can’t know what it means to finally discover what drove Selwyn away for so long … although I had guessed the cause had most likely been female.’
‘So sorry to disturb, En Noah.’ My novice re-entered the room looking somewhat overawed. ‘It’s the Governor,’ he explained simply, moving aside so that our head of state could enter.
‘Maelgwn!’ Tory cried with glee, assuming her husband was here seeking her.
‘Tory!’ The Governor sounded a little stunned, but he was quick to hide the reaction. ‘Here you are,’ he added, chancing a quick glance in my direction.
He was here to see me, I realised.
‘What a delightfully unexpected surprise.’ Tory placed the orb into the pocket of her trousers and hurried to greet her husband.
Despite his motives for returning from his public relations tour, Maelgwn was glad to see Tory. I stood idly by as they whispered their fond hellos, amid kisses and hugs.
‘How long are you here?’ Tory took a step away from Maelgwn, having contained her excitement for the moment.
‘Only a day or so,’ Maelgwn informed her regretfully.
But Tory grinned all the same. ‘But you must have traveled days to get here? What could have inspired you to come so far off the beaten track, as it were?’
‘I got homesick,’ he explained in all honesty, and as Maelgwn kissed his wife again, I thought about moving into another room and leaving them alone for a bit.
‘Ah Noah,’ the Governor called me back. ‘Could you spare me a moment of your time?’
‘Surely,’ I replied, pausing from my retreat as Maelgwn looked back at Tory to explain.
‘I shall meet you back at the house. I have a few things to discuss with Noah, and seeing as I’m here …’ He shrugged.
Tory took a few steps back, looking from Maelgwn to me and back again. She knew we were hiding something, although she chose not to verbally air her suspicions. ‘Well then, I guess I should get on.’ The Governess immediately made for the door and departed. Her aloof manner said it all really.
‘I am sorry, Governor, to cause you grief over these chronicles. They’ve never caused this kind of trouble before.’
Maelgwn removed his coat and was seated on the lounge. ‘Whatever grief your chronicles cause, En Noah, I feel quite sure you are not responsible.’ From his coat pocket, Maelgwn pulled the orb I sent him and placed it on my coffee table. ‘There is a bit of controversy that comes with this … one of those things I’ve been meaning to tell Tory about for ages.’
‘You refer to a blue lady?’ I aided his confession.
‘Aquilla,’ the Governor named her. ‘How do you know of her? Did Rebecca tell you?’
‘My wife knows about her?’ I was surprised by his query, but it did seem to confirm that the blue woman was in Maelgwn’s past.
‘Then, how could you know?’
As Maelgwn seemed a little anxious, I told him of my own recent delving into the past. I spoke of his inauguration to High King of Britain, which he knew nothing about and of the trip into his future that Gwyn ap Nudd had taken him on.
‘That was when your blue lady cropped up. “I am swimming in a beautiful blue ocean,” you said. “A blue lady swims with me, and I am stunned at the ease with which she moves through the water. My love for this woman overwhelms me, how can it be wrong?”’
Maelgwn closed his eyes as if enduring the meaning behind those words, then looked to me, a little worried. ‘Is that what was on the thought recorder Tory slipped into her pocket as I entered?’
I shook my head; the Dragon never missed a thing. ‘I cut that part. Everything else that happened that night worked very much to your favour,’ I assured, realising what I had implied. ‘Not that I am saying that your relationship with this woman was in any way —’
‘It’s alright, Noah.’ Maelgwn waved at me to calm down. ‘I knew what you meant, and I thank you for your discretion. May I view the chronicle in question?’
‘Yes, of course.’ I fetched my orb for him, and sat quietly by for half an hour as the Governor viewed the highlights of the night that had long since been snatched from his memory.
When the orb shut down Maelgwn was quiet for a time, before looking to me. ‘I am sorry for your pains.’
‘Ah …’ I shrugged it off. ‘I have since discovered Gwyn ap Nudd was right about Amabel and so all is right with the world. My world anyway —’ I clarified, without thinking. ‘Not that I am saying —’
‘Noah, please!’ Maelgwn prevented me ramming my foot any further into my mouth.
My admiration for this man never failed to reduce me — author, lecturer, historian — into a blubbering idiot. But then, having been in Selwyn’s skin for a while, I realised this was karmic behaviour. The Dragon had always had this effect on me, as did his wife most of the time.
‘So, how would you like me to proceed?’ I attempted to sound semi-professional.
Maelgwn appeared unsure himself. ‘I’d like you to view the information I stored for your chronicle, and give me your opinion on how much of it is appropriate for the record.’
I must say I nearly fell over backwards. The Dragon was asking me for advice! ‘If that is what you wish. Would you like me to do it tonight?’
Maelgwn nodded. ‘I’ll come see you tomorrow before I depart.’ He arose, sounding very resolute about the plan. ‘I had Brian do a little past-life regression work to fill in a few blank spots in my story, and the Lord Marduk even made a contribution, so I think it is fairly well complete now.’
Brian was Tory Alexander’s brother, who accompanied Maelgwn almost everywhere he went these days as his chief advisor.
‘Was she a Delphinus, your blue lady?’ I had to ask.
The Homo Delphinus was a human tribe evolved from a Nefilim-dolphin gene pool mix, as Homo sapiens had evolved from apes.
‘She was,’ said Maelgwn astutely.
‘You didn’t —’
‘It’s all on the orb, Purcell, just view it and make a ruling. Remember this all took place before we had written agreements with the Nefilim to honour. Until tomorrow.’ Maelgwn bid farewell and vanished from my midst.
The thing was that sexual interaction with the other human breeds was forbidden to the Chosen, for we alone had achieved immortality and the Nefilim wanted to keep it that way.
‘This could be a lot more controversial than I thought.’ I reached for the orb, thinking it was fortunate that my wife was away at present, as she would surely be getting annoyed with all the late nights I’d been putting in on my chronicles recently.
As part of the environmental task force known as KEPA (Kila Environmental Protection Agency), Rebecca was off on assignment elsewhere on the planet a good deal of the time. She heads the Animal Defensive and her task force guards our native wildlife population against poachers. As Kila becomes better known throughout the star systems, poachers belonging to the other human breeds are forever landing and hunting illegally here. Thus, Rebecca’s job is increasingly difficult and keeps her away from Chailida for longer and longer periods of time.
Although her long absences are conducive to my work, I would gladly fall behind in my literary endeavours for a little more time in her company. Still, with any luck I would get to glimpse my wife in the tale I would view this evening.
The Dragon’s thought recordings were always intense, for he didn’t fear re-experiencing the emotions of any given event. I usually had lots of fiddling with the differing sensory perceptions of his memories before they were suitable for my students to view. Still, the pre-medieval King’s recollections were the ones most sought after by the pupils. Perhaps this was because Maelgwn’s accounts were so brutally honest and passionate, much like the Dragon himself.
Chronicle of Ages Page 15
