Empire's Edge, page 13
"Vanarian?"
"We are from a planet called Vanaria."
"You maybe, but I'm not."
He remained silent.
"Wait; are you saying I'm part Vanarian? That my mother isn't really my mother?"
"No, she is your mother."
"What the hell are you saying then? That you're my father? Are we having a Darth Vader moment here?"
He shook his head.
"What then?"
"I am your great-grandfather, Megan."
Megan’s legs buckled, and she grasped at one of the poles from which the hut was constructed.
CHAPTER 29 - The Dream
Airell lifted up the canvas flap and entered the tent. He kneeled down and gently shook the slumbering Osian.
"Sir, it is time."
Osian’s eyes snapped open, and she sat up.
"Your posca, sir," Airell handed him a cup.
Osian gulped down the liquid; in truth the watered-down vinegar mixed with salt and herbs wasn’t his beverage of choice, but it was what the troops drank. ‘When in Rome’ he thought and chuckled to himself.
He handed the cup back. "How far is the village?" he asked.
"Not far at all."
Osian had a good idea where his half-brother might had spent the night but wanted to see for himself. It had been a long time since he’d been back there.
"Right, let’s go then," Osian said as he exited the tent.
The sun was let to poke its head over the horizon, but half-a-dozen soldiers were already up, warming themselves around a resurrected fire.
Osian called over to the short, broad man on the right of the group. "Optio Centus, I would have a word."
The optio walked over.
"I shall be gone for an hour or two, conducting a little reconnaissance mission."
The optio nodded. "Should I have the men break camp in your absence, sir?"
Osian pondered the question for a moment. "No, let us see what I observe first."
He span around. "Lead the way Airell."
Ω
Megan’s eyes flickered open and Hugh's concerned looking face stared down at here.
"Where am I?" she muttered.
"In the hut."
She pushed herself into a seated position. Apart from the dying embers of the fire, it was dark.
"How long was I out?"
"It has been several hours since Dafydd carried you in; he said you fainted."
"How come you are still awake?"
He took hold of her hand. "I couldn't sleep until I knew you were fine."
With all the Abria nonsense running around in Megan’s head, she'd forgotten what a stoic and loyal friend Hugh was. She squeezed his hand; he was more than that of course.
Hugh's voice was soft. "So, what happened?"
"I had some shocking news about my family." Megan hoped he didn't want her to elaborate. Time travel was bad enough. She was sure Hugh still considered it to be witchcraft of some sort. If she told him Dafydd came from the stars, he'd probably think him to be some sort of God.
He remained silent, and just reached forward to stroke her hair. She laid back down and closed her eyes.
Ω
Megan awoke to a clanging sound. The hut was empty apart from a young girl noisily cleaning the iron pot that had been hanging over the fire in the center of the room.
Megan walked over to the door and stepped outside, blinking as she was greeted by watery sunshine. The first person she saw was Dafydd; now dressed like a local. He gave her a wave.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
Switching into full-on moody teenager mode, she replied with a silent shrug. She considered the attitude to be fair enough given the circumstances.
"I know what I told you last night must have been a shock," Dafydd added.
Megan remained tight lipped.
"Given where we are going today, and what I hope to find, I felt I had no choice. Besides, you deserved to know."
Megan broke her silence. "So, when I first met you at my gran's house in Flint, you were in fact visiting your daughter."
He nodded, and Megan tried to wrap her head around all of it.
"How old are you?"
"No older than you might imagine. That is one of the vagaries of time travel. If I jumped forward twenty years, you would be in your thirties, but I would be the same age as when I left you as a sixteen-year-old."
"Okay, but why didn't you hang around after she was born?"
"It was during the war, I was . . . well, that's just say it was complicated."
Megan looked away, and Dafydd grabbed her arm.
"I promise I will tell you the whole story after we retrieve the crystal. Master Hugh cannot return to his own time without it. Neither of you belong here."
Megan was still mad at him. Was mad even the right word? She was confused and curious, but Dafydd was right — as usual. She had to put her feelings aside for Hugh’s sake.
"Okay, let's find this crystal," she said.
"Hugh, Abria, we’re leaving," Dafydd shouted.
Ω
From their vantage point among a small cluster of trees, Osian and Airell watched Dafydd and the others leave. Osian had been right about the village, and for a brief moment he considered whether he might visit his mother.
He shook his head; it was a stupid idea. If word got back to Ansgar that he was on the island, then he might abandon his plans to retrieve the crystal. And besides, he doubted whether he would receive much of a warm welcome, having burned that particular bridge a long time ago.
He noted the whore was walking at the back of the group. As he watched, she turned her head and stared in his direction. None of the others were looking, so he stepped out from among the trees.
"Sir, what are you doing, she will see you?" Airell hissed.
Osian watched with satisfaction as the girl’s mouth dropped open. He stepped back behind a tree as she hurried to catch up with the others. Osian was certain she wouldn’t say anything to them.
He turned to face Airell. "Give them five minutes, then follow. Observe where they go and when prudent to do so, report back to me at the camp. Understood?"
Airell nodded. "Yes, sir."
Ω
The dense trees blocked out most of the weak sunshine that had accompanied them thus far. Megan’s mind was preoccupied with Dafydd, her gran, and the fact that she was part alien.
She cast her mind back to Conwy Castle and the dungeon. No wonder Dafydd had come back to rescue her. A lot of things made sense now.
Deep in thought, she didn’t see that Dafydd had stopped, and walked right into him.
He turned sharply.
"Sorry," she said, and he put his finger to his lips.
He dropped to his haunches, and the others followed suit.
In hushed tones, he said, "The people ahead don't much care for visitors. You three stay here while I take a closer look."
They watched Dafydd slowly and deliberately move from tree to tree.
"Do you think there are druids down there?" Hugh hissed. Despite Dafydd's pep talk on the boat, he still harbored grave misgivings about them.
Megan shrugged. "I don't know, maybe."
Megan glanced at Abria; she looked apprehensive. Megan caught her eye and smiled; Abria flashed her a half-smile in return.
"I hope Dafydd knows what he's doing," Hugh added.
"He usually does," Megan said. And of course, now she knew the reason why.
They sat in silence until Dafydd finally reappeared.
"Come on, we should be fine," he said.
Slowly, they followed him down the slope into the clearing below.
If the people living there were druids, they didn't live a life of religious celibacy. Megan counted half a dozen young children running between the dozen or so huts. As they approached the nearest dwelling, woman tending to the crops growing in front of it, stopped and eyed them carefully.
Something was familiar about the whole scene to Megan, but she couldn't put her finger on what. She glanced back up the slope and the realization dawned.
"My dream," she exclaimed.
Dafydd span around. "What?"
"I've seen this village before, or one very much like it, in a dream."
"What happened in this dream?"
"It was calm like this, then trumpets sounded, drums too, and the Romans attacked. The sky was dark with spears."
She decided it sounded kinda stupid when she said it out loud, but Dafydd's face went pale.
"What else?" he asked.
"A young girl with blonde hair got impaled by a spear."
"Then what?"
"Hugh woke me up. It was that morning in the village after we'd escaped from Deva. It doesn't mean anything though; does it?" Megan asked.
The look on Dafydd's face didn’t inspire confidence, but he forced a smile. "Likely just a bad dream.
Megan decided that her great-grandfather was a dreadful liar.
CHAPTER 30 - Sacred Grove
Quite the crowd had gathered by the time the four of them got to the center of the settlement. It didn't seem like many were pleased they were there.
Megan tugged at Hugh's arm and hissed. "Why did you leave your sword back at the village?"
"Dafydd said no weapons."
She glanced at Abria and wondered if she had a knife secreted about her person. Although it wouldn't be much good against all of them, unless she seduced them one by one.
Megan had expected a bunch of old gray-haired men in robes, with long gray beards, but some in the crowd were fit and strong looking.
One of the girls, who made Tanya from Flint look like Mother Theresa's milder sister, walked forward, stopping about four feet in front of them. Abria took a step forward, and as Megan prepared to throw herself into the impending fray, a deep booming voice rang out.
"Isolda, return to your duties." The girl hesitated, and the voice added sharply, "Now."
Facing Abria, she backed away slowly, then with a laugh and a dismissive wave of the hand, she turned on her heels and strode away. Several other girls followed in her wake.
The owner of the booming voice was more along the lines of what Megan had been expecting. He wore a white robe, and his long gray hair was matched by an impressive silver-gray beard. It was like they'd walked on to the set of Lord of the Rings and Gandalf had come out to meet them.
"Ansgar, it has been a long time." He reached out and they grasped each other’s forearms.
Dafydd smiled. "Indeed it has Gildas."
"And you are brought friends I see."
Dafydd indicated that they should come forward.
"This is Abria, Hugh, and Megan."
The old man nodded in their direction. "I sense that only one of them really belongs."
Damn, he was good, Megan thought. Was he also part Vanarian?
Dafydd smiled. "Not much gets past you old friend. Tis true, Megan and Hugh are a great distance from their homes, and yet are not."
The old man smiled. As if Dafydd's words made sense to him.
"I presume this is not a social call, Ansgar."
Dafydd bowed his head. "I need access to the stone of my father."
Megan glanced around; everyone had gone back to whatever they were doing before their arrival.
Gildas replied. "Of course; but all in good time my friend. First, you will join me in giving blessing to the Gods?"
Dafydd turned around. "This may take a while; try and keep yourselves out of trouble." His gaze lingered longest on Abria.
The three of them watched as Gildas led Dafydd toward a small hut. Within a minute of them entering, the wisps of gray smoke curling into the air from a hole in its roof turned an off-white color.
Megan turned to Hugh. "God knows what they're up to in there."
He frowned, presumably at Megan’s profanity.
"It will likely take a while though. Shall we explore this charming little hamlet?" she asked.
Abria looked as though she'd understood little of what Megan had said, so she tried to elaborate using her limited Brythonic vocabulary. It seemed to work, as she nodded once Megan had finished and said, "Let's go."
"Hugh, keep an eye out for that girl," Megan hissed.
Although bigger than Dafydd's village, it didn't take them long to wander the perimeter.
They were part way through a second loop when the girl Megan had warned Hugh about walked up to them. There was one other girl with her, plus two boys, around Hugh's age. To Megan’s surprise the girl smiled.
"Aren't you bored?" she asked.
Megan wasn't sure what to say. She was bored, but would the girl get offended if Megan answered yes .
Without waiting for a reply, she added. "You must be."
Hugh whispered, "What did she say?"
"She asked if we were bored?"
Before Megan had a chance to express her concerns to Hugh, he nodded vehemently — so much for subtle diplomacy.
Her smile broadened. "Come with us." She and her friends strode off. After three paces, she stopped and turned.
"Come on." She indicated for them to follow. Hugh looked at Megan and she shrugged. It couldn't be worse than mindlessly wandering the village, could it?
CHAPTER 31 - The Accident
Megan watched as the two boys scrambled down the steep bank toward the river. Not to be outdone, Hugh followed suit. The girl named Isolda grabbed Megan’s hand and dragged her after them.
They tumbled the final five yards and collapsed in a heap together on the riverbank. For some reason Megan started giggling; Isolda joined in, and by the time a slightly vexed looking Abria arrived, they were rolling around in hysterics on the muddy bank. Megan accepted the proffered hand and Abria yanked her up.
The boys were already a hundred yards further along the bank, at a spot where a thick tree overhung the river. A length of rope dangled from one of the stouter branches.
The two local boys started stripping off their clothes, and Hugh did likewise. Megan considered averting her gaze, but thought, ‘to hell with it’. She was pleased to confirm that Hugh was the best looking of the three, the most muscular, and the erm, best equipped.
By the time the girls arrived at the spot, the first boy had scrambled up the bank. He grabbed the rope and with a whoop swung out and launched himself into the water.
He surfaced with a flourish and yelled. "It's freezing in here."
Hugh already had hold of the rope; he took three steps back and ran forward. The rope arced out over the river, and when it reached its high point, he let go.
Isolda pulled off her dress and Abria did likewise. In for a penny Megan thought, and joined them. Although being naked in front of people was becoming a habit, she still didn't feel completely at ease with it.
Isolda went first, and to cheers of encouragement from the boys, flung herself from the rope and crashed into the water.
Abria was right behind her, and Isolda had barely surfaced before Abria let go of the rope with a roar and her naked body arced gracefully toward the water. The impact was mere feet away from Isolda and she didn't look best pleased.
Abria smirked at her, and as it seemed certain things were about to get out of hand, Hugh swam over and skimmed his hand across the surface splashing Abria. Isolda laughed and Hugh did the same to her; the three of them were soon splashing each other and laughing — crisis averted.
Megan watched as Isolda's friend flung herself into the icy water. That was everyone except Megan.
"Come on Megan," Hugh yelled.
Megan crawled in an undignified manner on all fours up the bank. She didn't glance over her shoulder, but had a feeling that five sets of eyeballs were glued to her bare ass — perhaps she shouldn't have gone last?
By the time she reached the rope, Megan felt like the star of the show; it was higher than she’d realized, but there was no turning back. She grasped the rope stepped back a few paces and ran forward.
She let go sooner than the others, but still flew high in the air. She crashed into the icy water, swallowed a little of it, and surfaced spluttering. The water tasted fresh and clean.
After they had repeated the process twice more, they all dressed and sat on the riverbank.
"I suppose we should get back," Hugh said.
Megan nodded and pushed herself up. It had been fun, perhaps she'd misjudged Isolda.
With the village boys leading the way they scrambled up the bank. Hugh held out his hand to help Megan up the steepest part. From behind she heard a cry.
Abria lay at the foot of the bank clutching her knee. Isolda gazed down at the stricken figure. Was that a look of triumph Megan saw on her face? Had she deliberately tripped Abria and sent her flying down the slope?
CHAPTER 32 - Extra Night
For the final half mile Hugh had carried Abria on his back. Megan didn't know what she had done to her knee, but walking appeared to not be an option.
Dafydd was outside the old man's hut when they arrived back.
"What on earth happened to Abria?" he asked.
Megan glanced at Isolda. "She had an accident, fell down an embankment."
"Well, that's put the cat among the pigeons. I hoped to have the crystal cut and be back at the village by night fall."
"Crystal cut?" Megan asked, noticing a small item sitting on a three-legged wooden stool next to him. It was screwdriver sized and looked totally out of place in Roman occupied Britain.
Dafydd nodded.
She stepped closer. "What's that?"
"A laser cutter."
"A what? Where did you get that from? I've never heard of a hand-held laser cutter, even in the twenty-first century."
Dafydd looked a mix of proud and sad as he replied. "My father."
"I thought you said everything went down with your ship?"
"It was one of the things he carried on his belt."
"How is it powered? It's not like you can plug into a socket in the nearest hut."
Dafydd chuckled. "Indeed not. It is quick charging solar."
"Have you used it in front of them before?" Megan could only imagine how second century humans might react to such a device. Or thirteenth century for that matter, she glanced at Hugh.
