In the beginning was Chaos. And Chaos detested organisation and structure. He was roguish and full of mischief. Whenever order and logic looked likely to prevail, he would chuckle, wave his divine hand and delight in thwarting such impudence.
Exasperated, the other gods sighed. How would the mortals below ever be able to prove themselves with such troublesome interference? It was always the same; the wheel turned, and mankind managed to make a mess of everything. Again.
The debate continued to rage; the older gods insisted that, without constant help, mortals would destroy the Earth within a few thousand years. Others insisted they would learn and that only if Man was left alone would they know for certain.
But all agreed that, in the beginning, the humans were much too young and would need guidance. The question was always when to step back and let them get on with it.
And Chaos, that dribbling old grandfather, really wasn’t helping anybody.
Meanwhile, Gaia sulked. It wasn’t the Earth Mother’s idea to let People loose on her unspoiled playground. In her view, it could only lead to disaster. And it always took such a long time to nurse her garden back to health. Left alone, the gods knew how much trouble Man could cause.
Fed up, some of the younger gods decided it was time they took a hand. A sleight of hand so to speak; a counterpoint, perhaps, to Chaos and his cronies. Nothing too conspicuous, obviously, and some of the older ones would no doubt express their disapproval. But at least they could give both the Earth and the mortals below a fighting chance.
Maybe this time — THIS time — they might prove the cynical old gods wrong.
Only time would tell.
And now it was the bright young gods who chuckled as they formed their plans. The old fogies hated it when you messed with time. It really got their goat.
Speaking of which — Pan could be heard cackling to himself somewhere in the mountains. The randy old sod was anticipating some fun coming his way…
⌛⌛⌛ ⌛ ⌛⌛⌛
AD 61
Chapter 1 – Eve of Battle
I pushed Eógan off me; the big lug was far too heavy! Dressing quickly, I looked at him for a moment, lying on the ground with a sleepy, satisfied smile.
“Make sure you get some rest,” I whispered sarcastically. Without a backwards glance, I walked silently away, making my way through the encampment. It was more subdued than normal. A number of fires were still lit, and there was quite a lot of coupling going on, but the usual noisy banter was noticeably missing.
Thus it tended to be on the night before a battle. Who knew if you would see another sunset? Whether you would feel the intimacy of a man or woman again? A warm cunt, or juicy cock to see you through the night? Tonight there was that quiet desperation, a frenzied urgency in the fornications, everyone trying to make the most of what could very well be their last roll in the grass.
It hadn’t been the first time I’d lain with Eógan, and I hoped it wouldn’t be the last. He was fun, and I liked his sense of humour, though he was a bit too serious about me.
Deep in contemplation, I meandered between the restless bodies. I tried not to think too much about the morrow. Fucking Romans.
I smiled when I saw Jenna waiting by my own sleeping place.
“The camp is quiet tonight, Jen,” I said quietly.
“Of course it is, Bri. Same as always before a battle, you know that.” She paused for a moment, a touch of censure in her expression. “Your mother was looking for you. I think you were expected to attend the ceremony.”
I knew that. Fuck them! I thought selfishly.
“Pfff. Not tonight, Jenna. I’ve not even been initiated yet. I’m sure Boudega can manage her war magic without me.” I grabbed Jenna and pulled her closer. “There are other things I’d much rather be doing than chanting along with a load of wrinkly old druids.”
“You underestimate yourself, Brianna; you know they think the sun shines out of your arse. And your mum’s not wrinkly. They may not need you, but I’m damn sure they wanted you th — ahhh, you smell of cum Bri, you surely do! Who have you been fucking this time?”
I laughed. “Eógan. But what I really wanted tonight was a nice, warm cunt. So I came to find you.”
"Oh did you? And you think I should just roll over and let you stick your tongue in my box, hmmm? When you're neglecting your duties?”
“Oh, I do hope so.”
I kissed her, pushing my tongue between her lips. Despite herself, I felt Jenna respond. Then she suddenly pulled away with a furrow appearing between her bright eyes.
“You sucked his cock, didn’t you?”
“Yes. Why — can you taste it? I smirked. “I thought you liked it when I’ve been rutting?”
Jenna pouted, then pulled me down onto her blanket and hungrily kissed me again, pushing her tongue assertively into my mouth.
“You take advantage of me,” she complained when she eventually broke off for air.
I gave her a smug smile. “I know…”
I ran my hand up the inside of her leather skirt. She was hot and very damp. Jenna moaned as I found her slit and slipped my fingers inside her.
“Ohhh — you are so — so fucking impossible!” she breathed as I found her clit and started to play with her.
⚤⚢⚤ ⚢⚤⚢
Afterwards, we settled down by the embers of our fire. I watched a sentry patrolling in the distance, his outline barely visible.
“Are you worried?” Jenna asked.
“Worried? Of course I’m worried. We’ve been lucky so far, I think. The Romans aren’t stupid. We just caught them by surprise, that’s all.”
“Your mother’s one of Boudega’s leading warriors. What does she think?”
“She’s too wrapped up in the rebellion. She’s not thinking straight.”
“You sound like you think we’ll lose.”
I shrugged. It was a distinct possibility. But I didn’t want to say it out loud — it would be bad luck.
“That’s probably why they wanted you at the ceremony,” Jenna pressed. “Why didn’t you go?”
“My sister’s there. She’s who they really want.”
“Lanis isn’t the warrior you are. And they listen to you.”
“They listen to me when they want to listen. And Lanis is more in tune with their thoughts than I am. People may look to me occasionally, but – I don’t know. I think she will be much more powerful than I ever will. She's the one that needs to be there.”
“The two of you are so different.”
I sighed. “Yes, we are. But we’re also the same.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“It does and it doesn’t.” I closed my eyes, suddenly weary. What could I tell her of my uncertainties, the visions that often haunted my sleep? I'd already said too much.
⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔
Dawn crept in unannounced. I woke to find our camp engulfed by a thick morning mist. People had been moving about well before first light — such as it was. Those with a stomach for it breakfasted on last night’s leftovers. Jenna and I prepared ourselves carefully for the upcoming battle. We checked each other to make sure we hadn’t forgotten anything; sword, shield, and sling amongst the most important things. Jenna was a fearsome warrior and a match for any man I’d yet met. She was fast and full of guile. We worked well together, and she had saved my life more than once. Even so, it didn't stop the nerves in the belly.
The scouts coming in confirmed that this would indeed be the day. The Romans had assembled a strong force that would only get more powerful if left unchecked. Boudega had declared last night’s ceremony a success, and that the gods were with us. We would therefore engage as soon as we could gather ourselves.
My mother gave me a disappointed look when she saw me, and I felt a moment of guilt. Despite my misgivings, I reassured myself that they wouldn’t have listened to me anyway — they were resolved to fight regardless of what the gods said — or, if I was generous, what they interpreted them as saying.
Fucking Romans! I drew my sword and checked the blade one more time.
⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔ ⚔
Chapter 2 – Dreams
It didn’t go well. In fact, the day was a total fucking disaster; a complete rout. The gods damn those Roman whoresons! I knew we were being overconfident! Our scouts had led us into a false sense of security. We may have outnumbered them, but this time they outmanoeuvred us right from the start. Not like Londinio or Camulodūnon where we had caught them unprepared.
The Romans didn’t give us any quarter — not that we expected any. They were quick, efficient and ruthless. How had we forgotten that about them so fast?
Eógan was gone – I had seen him struck down by a javelin in the first minute.
My mother? She was riding her chariot when I last saw her; hair flying and eyes blazing like nothing in the world could touch her.
She was wrong about that. But I did not have time to mourn her; not now. Nor any of the others that had met their end on this savage day.
And now the few of us who were left were on the run, fighting to remain alive.
My sister had remained in camp with the other young ones — well away from the battleground. But the Roman cavalry was already there when I sought her out. Fortunately, she was hidden where we’d agreed if it all went wrong. There were two others with her — Lanis’ friend Erin, and a young lad called Atlan. He wasn’t a day over twelve, but he was putting a brave face on the sudden reversal in our fortunes.
Jenna had been wounded. She’d taken a slice across her lower back. I didn’t think it was deep, but it would need looking at sooner rather than later. Time was against us, however, and it would have to wait for now. I hoped the sword had been clean; I’d seen what a dirty blade could do.
The next few hours were a tense game of cat and mouse. As we tried to move stealthily through the terrain we occasionally heard the cries of others when they were found by the victorious hunters. I gritted my teeth and hurried on. I couldn’t help them now, and it was essential to get my sister to safety. She was too important to risk.
It didn’t stop me feeling bad though. I would know many of those who were being hounded through the woods. I felt rage at my impotence and wanted to lash out. It was difficult to remain calm and focus on the survival of our own little group.
We headed North. I wasn’t entirely sure why, but it felt like the right thing to do. Within a few hours, the terrain started to change; the woodland becoming much denser. By now we would be in the territory of the Coritani. We couldn’t trust them. They were known to aid the Romans — they had sold out to them shortly after the invasion and would undoubtedly give us up if it was in their interests. It didn’t matter that the Iceni had done the same; we would have to try and avoid any contact.
I could feel weariness beginning to overwhelm me as nightfall approached. It had been a very long and difficult day. We halted close to a spring so that we had water. Jenna’s wound was worse. What I really needed was hot water but I daren’t light a fire. My healing skills were pretty good, though perhaps not those of a fully trained Ban Draoithe. Those of us who were destined for the priesthood were taught many skills, but what my strongest gift was likely to be had not yet become apparent; Seer, Teacher, Healer, Leader — I was still an enigma to the council. Unlike my sister — her talent was all too obvious and made her an important asset to the future of the tribe — if there was any tribe left, that is.
And of course, her ability more apparent, my sister had also been trained from an earlier age. Less inclined to the sword, she was lethal with her sling, which she had mastered at the tender age of twelve. Now sixteen, she was also a natural healer; almost as good as I was, despite the fact that I was three years her senior.
But it was her visions that singled her out; that made her special.
Our band had grown through the day; we had found three more terrified youngsters in hiding, and they had joined us. Jenna and I would have to take turns keeping watch tonight. The others were both too young and too exhausted to be of use; we were very vulnerable.
As we settled down to try and rest I consulted with Jenna.
“Where are we going?” she asked as I tried to clean the wound in her side. She hissed as I worked on her.
“North. I’m not yet sure why — there are just as likely to be Romans in this direction, but — but I — I feel a pull this way.” I couldn’t really explain it, but to be honest, it was almost a compulsion.
“Well, as long you know what you’re doing.”
I wasn’t entirely sure that I did. But it wouldn’t be the first time I’d made a decision based purely on instinct. It was one of the things that singled me out. I made choices, decisions, that turned out to be fortuitous. Others — the druids, especially — had noticed this at an early age. And remembered.
I slept badly that night, disturbed by a series of dreams that kept intruding into my weary and vulnerable consciousness. Whilst some were vaguely familiar, others were new — perhaps prompted by our pursuit. I saw images — flashes of things I didn’t recognise. I saw a tall, standing stone which spoke to me with huge, protruding lips; then I was running through a strange forest with trees of a type I didn’t recognise; there was a drum beating in time with my heart as I moved. Then the vision switched, and I was suddenly drowning, water swamping me as I struggled to breathe. This last dream — the one where I drowned — woke me several times that night, leaving me gasping desperately for air.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
The following day we travelled more carefully. Speed was no longer the most important thing; remaining undetected became our overriding priority. Plus, I didn’t want us becoming so tired that we made costly mistakes.
We were in the forest nearly all the time now. I’d heard it said that a squirrel could travel from one coast of this isle to the other without touching the ground. I could well believe it, seeing the trees; yew, hornbeam, ash and rowan in particular. And oaks — these last, huge and ancient, seemed to beckon to our little rag-tag band of fugitives.
I led us unerringly through the undergrowth, still unsure exactly where we were headed. The others’ trust in me was overwhelming and made me very conscious of the responsibility I had for their young lives.
During the day, we managed to stop and gather berries — the only nourishment we could afford. We stopped by a stream late in the morning for a rest and took the opportunity to eat and drink. Jenna’s wound was looking better and I was thankful that she was a quick healer.
As darkness approached once more, I again began looking for somewhere to halt. We were now completely exhausted and desperately needed sleep.
The place I found was ideal. There were no paths nearby that I could see, and it was well hidden by undergrowth. Eyes drooping, we bedded down for the night. I felt we were finally far enough away not to post a guard; besides, I wasn’t sure I could stay awake any longer.
On this second night, I again dreamt. This time the visions seemed more intense, more visceral somehow; it was extremely disturbing.
This time I saw a town. It was the largest town I’d ever seen, with huge buildings reaching up into the sky. Was this Rome? I wondered. The stone was there again, only this time there were several, all with hideous mouths laughing at me. There were huge flashes of lightning and stupendous bolts of thunder; a gigantic storm, with rain battering my body. It seemed as if the storm were trying to pummel me into the earth, but then the water rose up and started to fill my nose and mouth, and for the umpteenth time I started to drown...
The last time I dreamed, I glimpsed a face. Pale, with freckles; red hair and deep green eyes searching, boring into my skull, looking for something inside me. I was haunted by this face; it was both young and old, smooth and lined, real and not real.
There was no way I could go back to sleep after that. Except somehow, I finally did.
When I woke in the morning, my body ached like it never had before. Far worse than sparring with Jenna; worse even than the battle we had so recently lost. The rigours of that battle and our consequent journey were finally catching up with me, and I was feeling the weight of leading our group.
That day too, we kept heading deeper into the forest, still compelled by my instincts.
Was it my instincts? Or was I being pulled somehow? I didn’t know exactly what was happening, but I had a sudden premonition, a sense, that I was being purposefully directed. It was not necessarily a comfortable thought and I resolved to be extra careful.
We heard occasional man-made noises during the morning, but as the day wore they became less frequent. I thought we had probably lost any pursuers from the battle, though that didn’t mean there weren’t still people or beasts out there that might be hostile to us.
Before we knew it, darkness was once again starting to close around us. I was looking for another safe place to sleep when we entered a forest glade. There was a tiny spring at the edge, and the twilight gave it an ethereal glow.
I immediately sensed something different; there was a powerful presence here, though I could not tell exactly what it was. But it didn’t seem unfriendly and I assessed that this location was too good a chance to pass up. And anyway, I didn’t think we could manage to go any further. Jenna was strong, but still not yet recovered, and the rest were on the edge of collapse.
I still wasn’t confident enough to consider lighting a fire, though.
That night – our third since the battle, I snuggled up to Jenna.
“Really?” she asked. “You have energy left for that?”
“No, I don’t. Not for a moment. But I want to be close to you. I want to make sure you aren’t eaten in the night by wolves,” I joked. And I really hope that tonight I can sleep without being disturbed by the dreams, I didn’t say.
I fell asleep with Jenna in my arms. The others were also snuggled up for warmth, and I could see Lanis with her arms around Atlan, making sure he felt looked after. He was the youngest, and her maternal instincts were strong. I thought good thoughts about my sister as my eyes closed.
⚢⚢⚢ ⚢⚢⚢
I did dream again. But this time it was difficult to tell what was real and what was not. I could smell the damp earth, and salt from the sea. I could reach out and touch, and feel the air around me. As before, the images I saw were confusing and full of contradictions. The stones again, only this time it was just a single menhir, beckoning, calling to me; drawing me in. This rock was tall and smooth — taller than a man. The mouth had gone, but I could hear a voice inside my head; it was an ancient sound, much older than the trees in the forest around us, and full of history. This time, the images I saw were almost reassuring, like they portended good news, rather than doom.
Even when I was in the storm, with lightning filling the sky, and rain engulfing me; even though I could feel myself drowning, whilst at the same time dying of thirst, I felt that I would come through it. I did not know why — only that I would not die in that moment. I felt invincible. It was refreshing and subconsciously, it made me wonder what had changed.
Then there was the town again — huge with those enormous buildings, each made of iron and reaching high into the sky. And there were also gigantic iron birds soaring like eagles, circling around this strange town. I couldn’t make any sense of it.
And finally, that face — ageless with the pale skin and freckles. And flowing red hair, the same colour as my own. From behind I thought she might even have been me, only I knew, without a doubt, that this was someone else. Someone a long way from here but also close by. Nonsense, I know, but I didn’t know how else to describe it. The vision of this girl — this woman— had such sad wisdom in her mystical eyes; knowledge beyond her years that would surely tear me apart. I didn’t want to meet this person, yet felt irretrievably drawn to them, for I was sure they were real. Who are you? I wondered.
⚢⚢⚢ ⚢ ⚢⚢⚢
The woman woke with a gasp. The vision had been so clear.
“Merlyne — what did you see?”
“It was the same vision as before. The one who has been appearing in my dreams. She also dreams of me, now — amongst other things. And she will need us soon. She is on the run and…”
“And what?”
“I — I’m not sure. There was so much to see. I’m not sure I got it all. I saw a city — a modern city, but she is from the past, this sister, not the future. And she is not alone.”
“Is it time, then?”
Merlyne frowned. “Not yet — she is close, but also far. And she may have to travel a lot farther before we can reach her. I — she has not yet been tested. Her path is not yet set, and…”
“Yes?”
Merlyne shook her head.
“She is my kin-sister. Of that, I have no doubt. But the vision wasn’t completely clear — it was like seeing a double image.” Merlyne hesitated. “We will have to wait a while longer, Gwen. But we must be ready.”
Gwen sighed. “It’s taken long enough.”
“We’ve had our own path to follow, Gwen. You know that.”
“So you keep telling me. But it’s been so quiet since — you know.” Even now, Gwen couldn’t bring herself to say his name. His passing had been devastating to everyone who knew him — who had given everything for him.
“Yes, I know, But I think the sign we are looking for has finally made itself known to us.”
“Let’s hope so. We’re not as young as we used to be. Well, I’m not anyway.”
☯ ☯ ☯ ☯ ☯ ☯ ☯
Chapter 3 – Baetylus
In the morning, I woke much later than usual. Utterly drained, I had finally fallen into a deep, restful slumber. As I looked around at the others still sleeping, I suddenly remembered that we had not posted a guard. What was I thinking! I’d been foolish; we would never survive if I continued to be as lax as this. I was responsible for the safety of our little group. The only other warrior was Jenna, and she was still hurt. All the others were so young and inexperienced — though Lanis could certainly look after herself. I looked across at my sister. She was agitated, moving in her sleep. Angry at myself, I rose and sought a convenient bush not too far from our camp.