Chapter 18: It's getting close to a showdown!

"This is a sad and sorry tale indeed. I must remember to treat women more kindly in future else risk suffering the same fate perhaps," said Gabrain, "I'm glad I persuaded you to allow me to visit Cruachan one last time before we left the Earth. I promised Mayla and Shaygan they would one day see the beauty of Dalriada and they fell in love with it.

"It also allowed me to leave my letter close to the hydroelectric station where it would be found and delivered to my family. Leaving without sending a message could be the kind of thing that leads to women taking their revenge in the worst possible way!"

"But history tells us that you had to leave the letter there my Lord, for that was where it is recorded as being discovered. That was the final proof, if any was needed, that we were destined to come back in time to pick you up. If we hadn't, none of that would have happened," said Bruce.

"I think it is time for us to go down to this Alban and look at our new home," said Gabrain.

"Sir, my scanning of the computers on Alban indicate there are a number of working transport hubs criss-crossing the planet. It should be a relatively simple job to adjust our own technology to marry up with what's there," said the AI.

"Very well, AI, do that," said Bruce.

The first party to transport down to Alban was twenty strong and included Gabrain, Tara, Bruce and some of Gabrain's specialists and natives. They found themselves in a transport hub and stood to investigate their immediate surroundings.

The transport room door opened into a passageway and they could see natural light at one end of it. Gabrain led the way, heading for the opening and as they neared the mouth of the passageway they saw the material of the walls change to smooth black stone.

Both Gabrain and Tara paused as their feet came into contact with the stone, feeling a surge of power flow through themselves. They looked at each other and then their companions.

"Did all of you just feel some kind of energy flow through your bodies?" Gabrain asked.

"What do you mean? I didn't feel anything," said Bruce.

The others shook their heads to indicate that they had not felt anything out of the ordinary either. Gabrain shrugged and continued on. He came out of the passageway, into the circular pit and looked over to where the stone column stood at its centre.

He crossed the pit and mounted the steps up to the column. He reached out with one hand to touch the stone and the letters carved into its face. Another, stronger, surge of something leapt from the stone, travelled up his arm and infused his body.

Scott, we would advise against this course of action. Please consider what you are doing. You cannot keep flicking backwards and forwards in time. Not only will you become confused; you stand the real risk of doing something that could have disastrous consequences. We, the iLOX, would not use that ability for fear we could destroy the world as we know it. Even in our darkest moments, when we lost our males and then when we knew we were all dying, we did not use it. There is lore believed to have been handed down from the 'old ones' that cautions against using our power in that way. Making significant changes in time can have the unintended effect of creating a parallel universe and we don't know the full consequences of that. We took the drastic step of creating one such parallel universe to enlist your help. We don't believe you should risk creating another, there is little control.

"Guardians, I hear your words of caution, but I still intend to do this. I say that you were foolish not to have tried to save your race by doing so yourselves. When all is seemingly already lost, what would you have left to concern you?" Scott said, peering into the bright light that was coming from the stone.

We might have managed to save ourselves, but at what cost to other civilisations? The death of the Albannach at our hands scarred us deeply and we could not risk committing another awful act like that. No, we heeded the warnings of the 'old ones' and did not walk that path.

"I must take the risk my friends. Take me to Gabrain and Tara." Scott said once more and stepped forward until he was fully inside the dome of light.

Gabrain leapt backwards and stumbled down the steps, landing on his butt on the floor of the pit. The stone column had begun to glow with a fierce, bright white light and he threw his arm up to shield his eyes. The others in the party watched in amazement, the natives falling to a prone position, pressing their foreheads to the ground.

The light grew until it surrounded the column and the raised platform it was on, spreading outwards like a dome. Gabrain remembered seeing something similar in the hall-house at Inveraray when Scott and his family had left him. His heart quickened at what he thought was happening.

The light began to spread from the column, creeping down the steps and over the floor of the pit. Gabrain scrambled to his feet and watched as the smooth black stone under his feet was transformed to a glowing white. It was almost like watching the shadow of a cloud moving away to allow the sunlight to brighten the ground he thought, but perhaps a hundred times better than that. The strongest surge of energy yet went through his body.

The pit eventually became entirely white with blue marbling and Gabrain could feel the raw energy pulsing through the soles of his feet, almost as if the ground itself was alive. The brightest light still came from the platform where the stone column was and Gabrain peered towards it. He made out the shape of a man emerging from the light and cried out.

"Scott! Scott! Sweet Jesu! Scott!" he cried, stumbling forward.

"Well met, Gabrain my friend, well met indeed," said Scott as he walked down the steps to embrace his friend tightly.

"I knew somehow that we two would meet again. I felt it inside me. And what a mighty task you have set me this time, my Lord," said Gabrain.

"Aye, my friend. I think I ask too much of you at times. I am saddened that you couldn't bring your family with you, but you know that I wouldn't have asked if it wasn't of the utmost importance."

Scott whirled round as he felt a weight hurling itself at him, clinging to his back, arms coming around his neck. He managed to dislodge Tara and hugged her too, kissing her soundly into the bargain.

"Maybe this will teach you to try and avoid wormholes in future my love. I worried about you until the Stone let me know you were safe," said Scott.

Gabrain and Tara both gasped and Scott turned to see what they were looking at. On the platform, the Stone of Destiny had come home. It nestled into the rough surface at the top of the column; a perfect fit and a shaft of brilliant white light now rose straight up from it, reaching up into the heavens.

"Aye, it has found its place again. Hear me!" cried Scott, "Hear me! I am Scott mac Fergus, Ard Righ nan Albannach . I call on the 'old ones' to bear witness this day. I condemn the iLOX for their acts of betrayal and for their heinous crime in murdering the Albannach so long ago. But they have paid for their sins, paid in full measure and they have laboured long to try to make amends, aye, even after they had passed on themselves. As Ard Righ nan Albannach I proclaim the iLOX finally cleansed of their sins and free to hold their heads up once more, wherever they may be."

As Scott's voice echoed round the pit and eventually died, a sound began to rise all around them. The noise was like hundreds, thousands, of voices joining together in a collective cry of deep joy. It rose, the noise level building, echoing, reached a climax and then was gone. Two milky white creatures appeared on the platform at the top of the steps. They walked down the steps and bowed before Scott before addressing him in Gaelic.

"You are gracious indeed, Scott mac Fergus. Never would we have expected such an act of kindness and understanding. On behalf of the iLOX let us express our gratitude," they said in unison, bowing once more.

"Who are they?" Tara whispered at Scott's side.

"Tara, Gabrain, let me introduce the iLOX guardians, High Priestess Phrax and High Priestess Indorax," Scott said.

The two iLOX bowed in turn to Gabrain and Tara.

"My thanks to you both for what you have already done for us. The Stone is once more complete and you are back where you belong. You know I don't have much time, as the Earth could be attacked at any moment by the Lupos. I leave you here, with the Stone, to help Gabrain and his people do what they need to. I must return with the Dalriada through the second wormhole that you identified for me," Scott said.

"I thought it was the iLOX who were attacking the Earth? Why is it now the Lupos and why are they calling themselves the iLOX?" Tara asked.

"Over the years the iLOX/Lupos crossbreeds amongst them have become dominant," said Phrax, "They no longer see themselves as the same as the Lupos. They are not satisfied with killing us off, now they want to usurp our name also."

"Gabrain, my friend. I'm afraid I must leave you again, this time for good. I leave you to protect the Stone. Use its power wisely and listen to the sage counsel of the High Priestesses. You know what you have to do - I warn you now though that the latest Lupos ship we have identified is over five-miles long and one and a half miles wide. Anything you do to develop ships to help us will need to bear that in mind," said Scott.