Chapter 11

Later on the same day as my history lessons began with Charles, I received another big surprise. A noise brought me back from the very edge of sleep and I lay in my furs trying to figure out what it was. Faint whispering reached my ears and I realised that Grandma had a late night visitor. To my knowledge that was very unusual.

Try as I might (and I tried very hard) I couldn't make out the words that were being said or even who the visitor might be. An idea occurred to me and I reached inside myself for some of the power I had stored there. I imagined the power radiating out from my ears to capture sounds and return them and damned if it didn't work.

Now it was clear who the visitor was. It was Charles and he was talking to Grandma about me. I made sure that not a muscle twitched under my furs for fear they would realise I was awake and listening.

"I tell you, Gwendolin, I feel so inadequate for the task I have been set."

"Nonsense, Charles! There is no one better suited than you are for teaching the boy what he needs to know. He has a hard life ahead of him and you will set him on his way with all of the tools he requires."

"I sense that he's the strongest of our kind that has ever emerged. I don't know the limits of his strength and there are other things about him that I am not equipped to deal with!"

"What things?"

"He calls the fairies to him as if they were house pets!"

"Oh my. Can he really do that? I thought that there were no such things as fairies - surely they are an old wives tale?"

"I saw them with my own eyes, Gwendolin! And the youngling can understand the animals. Only two others of our kind have been able to do that. It is very unusual."

"But not unheard of."

"Perhaps, but he has managed to bring his girlfriend into his dreamtime twice now - no one has ever managed that before. How he does it I have no idea! Another unusual thing is that I only have very limited access to his thoughts. That isn't supposed to be the way. I should be able to read everything that is going on inside his head."

"Mother protect us. You might not be able to read his thoughts, but I'm sure there's nothing to worry about, Charles. He seems a very level headed boy and he works hard from what I can see. When the time comes, I'm sure he will be up to what is asked of him."

"He works hard, yes. Perhaps he is a little too impatient, but he is young and the young are forever trying to be old before their time. The most worrying thing is the birthstone. I have tried to tell him how unique it is for anyone to actually find their birthstone. Sean doesn't seem to understand the significance of the stone. If it is damaged or destroyed, it could mean he is destroyed with it."

"Ah, yes. The birthstone. That is lore that I know nothing about, Charles. If it is as important as you say, you will need to convince Sean to look after it more carefully. He has entrusted it to this girl from the 'other-world' and that must be a risk."

"Now do you begin to see why I feel inadequate? Never have we had such dealings with the 'other-world' before. Sean has tried twice now to bring technology into his dreamtime and I believe he suspects that something in Gael is stopping him from doing that."

"Oh dear! And he is still young. No one else must be allowed such knowledge, Charles. You will need to speak to Sean and explain."

"You are no doubt right, Gwendolin. I'll try to tell him tomorrow. But all of these things he has done - the fairies, the girl, the birthstone - it is almost as if he is a trainee wizard!"

"That's just not possible, Charles. You know better than anyone that your kind and wizards cannot cross-over. You must grow to be what you were born to be and he is undoubtedly Kenneth's son, so he cannot be a wizard."

"Yes, that is true. It's just that he has these abilities that no one else has ever had."

"Look, there's no point upsetting yourself over something that isn't possible. Come on now, why don't we take advantage of him sleeping to enjoy ourselves for a little while?" Grandma asked.

The noises that followed made it clear to me just how they were enjoying themselves. Embarrassed, I stopped using the power so that they had some privacy.

The conversation I had eavesdropped on left another raft of questions unanswered. If anyone should feel inadequate in the relationship between Charles and me, it was surely me! Charles' worries didn't make sense.

The abilities I had were not normal it seemed, and that's what Charles had been talking about. My suspicions about Physics and technology also seemed to have been confirmed. Charles was thinking of trying to explain what was happening there, but Grandma had sounded worried about it.

Apparently 'our kind' could not crossover with wizards! I didn't even know there was such a thing as a wizard. Added to that, I had still been given no clues as to what 'our kind' were. That was becoming particularly annoying. Whatever 'our kind' were, from the way Charles, and now Grandma, spoke, it was clear that Charles was one too.

My earlier concern about whether Charles knew everything I was thinking had also been cleared up. He didn't. Apparently that upset him.

The questions were running round and round in my head and I could have lain awake all night trying to find answers to them without any success I'm sure. My link with the power of the Road would have let me stay awake, but I would be grumpy in the morning. Instead, I decided to turn my tap virtually all the way off in the hope that I could sleep. Perhaps Charles would tell me more in the morning. Perhaps he would answer all my questions without raising any new ones. Perhaps pigs might fly!

If I thought the next day was going to start with some startling revelations from my teacher, I was badly disappointed. The best I managed to get out of him was a geography lesson that included some detail of the Kingdom of Scania in it.

For the first time I was able to pore over the detail of that part of Gael and was even able to pinpoint the Urann Mountains where the crystals were to be found. The map we were studying showed Scania was shaped like a large dog's head, and I made a 'woofing' noise with a laugh.

"This is not a game, Sean. You are still young and therefore you are more vulnerable. Don't think for a moment that you're safe because you are only here in dreamtime. You can die here just as easily as anywhere else.

"I know I can't convince you not to make this journey, so I'm going to suggest the next best thing. You fly to where the crystals are - straight there and then straight back with no diversions! You collect the crystals and return, nothing else. Do I make myself clear?"

I confirmed that I had understood the gravity of the situation and that I wouldn't be taking any foolish risks.

"The shortest route would be directly from here to the Urann Mountains, but that would mean flying over Scania for two days. That in turn would mean needing to spend at least one night in Scania and it is not a Kingdom where you want to be out at night.

"The slightly longer route is to go north, cross the border between Axon and Ness and then fly east to the mountains. That would be safer I think. The Nessers are still friendly to Axonites, we share a common distrust of Scania!"

We discussed the land I would be flying over and where a good point might be for resting overnight. I was pretty sure I wouldn't be alone, as it was odds on that the eagles would want to fly with me.

"If there is any sign of trouble, Sean, you get away as quickly as you can. Do you understand me? Only a select few on Gael can fly and only then when they are in their own dreamtime. That means that you will be the only person able to fly on this trip. Use that advantage and keep out of trouble!"

I thought there was something flawed in my mentor's calculations. If I could fly in normal time in the Midwest, why was Charles insisting that flight was only possible in dreamtime?

This was an important point and one that needed to be brought to Charles' attention.

"Charles, I think there is something wrong with what you have just said. If I can fly when I'm at home in the 'other-world', doesn't that mean that people can fly without being in dreamtime?

He stopped talking and looked at me as if I had suddenly sprouted another head.

"This is not the time for more of your jokes, Sean. I'm sure that you already know how special you are. No one else can do the things that you seem able to do. Trust me, no one else can fly outside of their own dreamtime, it just isn't possible."

"But if I can, Charles, then it must be at least possible that someone else can. Mom always taught me that I should never assume things - she says, assume makes an ASS out of U and ME."

Charles got to his feet and began to pace up and down.

"This is very serious, Sean. You are already doing things in and out of dreamtime that shouldn't be possible. The natural order of things is being disturbed and now you are making me doubt my own understanding of lore that is centuries old."

As far as I was concerned, to describe dreamtime as the natural order of things was like claiming black was white. It made no sense whatsoever and I felt I had to tell Charles so.

"Charles, I know you have tried to explain dreamtime to me. But you've talked about it being a place that includes my past, my present and even my future. You talk about the 'everywhere'. I'm sorry, but someone else being able to fly seems much more believable than some of these other things you've described."

By now he was wringing his hands together as well as pacing up and down.

"This could change things, Sean. I cannot let you be exposed. If there is a risk that flying will not give you a major edge, then I must insist you drop this notion of looking for the crystals."

"Look, this makes no real difference. I'm still going to Scania whether other people can fly or not. My girlfriend's Mom is dying! I need to get those crystals!" I said.

Charles' response set me back on my heels.

"No one's life is worth risking yours for. You must never forget that! Your life is worth a hundred, a thousand, twenty thousand or more of these 'other-world' people! Don't you understand?" he screamed at me.

The sound of raised voices brought Grandma running to the stone circle where our lesson was taking place.

"Charles? What's wrong, Charles?" she asked, slightly breathless.

"The YOUNGLING is telling me how he knows better than I do! He's just explaining how he is willing to risk his life to save the Mother of his girlfriend!" Charles snorted with disgust.

I'd listened to just about enough.

"You know, you're full of shit! Mrs Thomas is a brave woman, maybe the most courageous person I've ever met. She's suffering in silence and putting her family first, despite the news that she perhaps only has months to live. I would gladly give my life if it meant she was able to live!

"And what gives you the right to say any one person's life is any more important than any other person's, never mind thousands of others?

"YES, the youngling is telling you that he knows better - somebody has to! All I've got from you since I first came here is that you know best, you'll decide when it's time to tell me things, you'll try to control everything I do. Well I've had enough!" I shouted.

Around the outside of the stone circle, grass and soil were suddenly corkscrewing violently upwards as if being spun by a giant tornado, as my anger was unleashed. Grandma was cowering, her mouth open in astonishment at my outburst and its effect. Charles was backing away from me like he feared for his safety, despite the fact we were inside the stones.

Having said what I felt had to be said, I took to the air and flew straight up into the vortex I had created with my anger.

At first I had no idea what I was doing or where I was going. I was by now an eleven and a half year old boy in dreamtime and if I'd stopped for a moment I would have realised I was acting my age.

The eagles had appeared quite quickly and were flying alongside me. Perhaps they sensed my mood for they remained quiet, but their presence was still comforting.

When I did eventually look down, I recognised where I was from the hours of studying Charles' maps. The River Anesta was winding like a serpent below and I knew that if I followed it to its source, I would be close to the point in Ness that Charles had shown me.

For the next few hours I flew as if on autopilot, with only the occasional squawk from Aquilaire and his lieutenants to intrude on the silence. It was hunger that finally shook me out of my mood and I began to regret my impulsive behaviour.

There was some woodland below and I decided to look there for something to fill my grumbling belly. The eagles decided not to follow me down, probably because they were off to catch something to eat too.

As well as being a guide that I could follow through Axon and North into Ness, I knew the river below was also a dividing line between Axon and Scania in the East. I made sure therefore that I stayed on the Axon side.