Chapter 14

When I returned to the house, Cormac was eating a sandwich. He looked uncomfortable sitting, while his Queen (my Mom) was on her feet.

Mom and Brenda were both looking at me anxiously. No doubt, they were waiting for me to give them some kind of indication of what I had decided.

"I need to sleep on this," I told them.

There was little doubt that both of them guessed what that meant. Mom had only found out today that I had been visiting dreamtime but she would quickly see that a visit to Charles made sense.

The remainder of the evening was strained to say the least and it was a relief to get out of the house when it was time to give Brenda a ride home. She kept as close to me in the truck as she could without upsetting my driving.

"You're going to visit dreamtime again tonight, aren't you?" she asked.

"Yep. I think I need to get Charles to answer some of these questions before I can decide what to do."

"Will you still try to call for me?"

"Of course! I promised that I would give you one day in each of my visits and nothing that's happened has changed that."

"Sean, I've been thinking that maybe we're ready to, you know, take the next step."

At the end of what had been a truly remarkable day, my hormones went into overdrive at what I thought Brenda was hinting at. Was she really suggesting what I think she was? My normal response in these situations was to keep my mouth shut lest I say the wrong thing and that's what I did now.

"Do you think we're ready, Sean?"

I gulped. Why was Brenda forcing me to take this decision? She had always been the one who set the pace in our relationship and I was content to let her. It seemed to work for both of us, so why change it now?

"I think that's a decision that you have to make. You're the one who has set the pace and it's been working for us up 'til now. I'm always happy with whatever you choose to share with me and if you feel now is the time to share 'everything' then that's what we'll do."

Brenda grew quiet and for some reason I got the sense that my answer had disappointed her.

Sometimes girls just didn't make allowances for the fact that guys have a different mind-set to the one they have. What was it they were calling it at school? Yep, 'emotional intelligence', that was it. If you asked me, that was a stupid phrase.

A teacher had tried to explain the difference between the boys and girls in class:

"Ask a girl what her favourite scent is and she'll tell you Chanel or Givenchy.

"Ask a boy what his favourite scent is and he's likely to say the smell of bacon frying."

That may sound stupid, but it kind of illustrates the different levels that boys and girls work on.

I think Brenda had been expecting me to recognise the whole emotional side to us taking the ultimate step in the sexual part of our relationship. It was a massive thing for her, for us both. But my response hadn't shown that I understood that.

Whatever she was feeling, she'd recovered by the time we reached her house. We shared a loving kiss in her driveway, and she hugged me tightly before getting out of the truck and heading through her front door.

I spent just enough time with Mom and Cormac when I got back home to be polite and then escaped to my room as soon as possible.

Lying down on my bed, I closed my eyes and searched inside myself for my link to 'the Road'. Very quickly I was found myself flying above the silvery ribbon again and a series of squawks told me that my friends the eagles had come to welcome my return.

Charles looked positively nervous standing outside Gwendolin's cabin and it was clear that he knew something had changed. Perhaps some of my thoughts had leaked enough for him to get a glimpse of Cormac's visit, or that I knew something about my father?

"It is good to have you back, youngling," he said as I landed in front of him.

I waved to Aquilaire and his friends and they squawked an acknowledgement as they swooped off.

"Yes, I have returned to dreamtime to talk and perhaps to complete my studies. There is still a lot we have to do, isn't there?"

My response was designed to let Charles know from the outset that I expected things to be different on this visit. I expected him to show some reaction to my words, but he didn't and instead asked a question of his own.

"I sense a great deal of anger inside you, Sean. What is the cause of that?"

Charles' question gave me the perfect opening I was looking for.

"Each time I have visited dreamtime you have exercised a tight control over what I have been allowed to learn. From today, that has got to stop. I now know that I am a Prince, but there are other things that I need to know before I can decide whether I will return to Gael in 'real' time."

Shock registered on Charles' face and he gave himself a shake to try to snap out of it.

"It seems there is another story to tell here, Sean. I think Gwendolin should hear this too. Why don't we join her inside? You can tell us what's happened since you were last here with us?"

I recounted the gist of what had happened that day in the 'other-world'. I told them about the envoy, about Mom confirming that I was a Prince, and telling me about the bargain she had struck with my father.

"I hope you can both see why I would be upset that my father hasn't bothered to try to contact me for nearly seventeen years? Perhaps that will help explain why I am now unsure about returning to Gael?"

"But if you do not return to Gael there could be terrible consequences! You have to return, there is no decision for you to take. There is no other option. You have to return to Gael!"

"Why?"

My simple question seemed to really upset him. He stared at me as if I had somehow lost my mind.

"Well, if you emerge in the 'other-world'..."

He faltered as he realised that he hadn't explained anything about this to me.

"But our kind have a responsibility..."

Again he faltered as he grasped the fact that I didn't have the knowledge of 'our kind' that would perhaps influence a decision about whether I had to return to Gael or not.

"I can see that you're finally getting it, Charles. From what little you have told me so far, I know of nothing that stops me from simply deciding not to return to Gael. Now, perhaps you would like to enlighten me as to why it is so important?"

I could see that I had made my point. Charles was on his feet, pacing and wringing his hands together like I had seen him do before when he was highly agitated. At last he came to a decision.

"Very well, Sean. You would have to be told eventually anyway and now is as good a time as any."

He turned to Grandma.

"I am sorry, Gwendolin, but you know that you cannot stay for this."

She nodded and then before my very eyes, she disappeared!

"WHAT! Where did she go? What's happened to Grandma?" I managed to choke out.

"She is only ever here at my invitation and what we are about to discuss is knowledge that is forbidden to her," said Charles.

"I'm sorry, but you're going to have to explain that."

Charles sighed as if preparing himself for a long and tiresome ordeal. He settled down on the pile of furs opposite me and began his explanation.

"There are three different kinds of people on Gael, Sean.

"First there are men of royal blood, people like you and me. You have asked a number of times what I mean when I refer to 'our kind', well what I meant was: men of royal blood.

"Then there is a second group: women of royal blood. Your Mother and Gwendolin fall into that category.

"Then there are the common folk. They account for the vast majority of the people in Gael."

Charles' explanation had only been running for a few minutes and already I was having a problem with it. The idea that people could find themselves in a position of power and privilege simply through an accident of birth was contrary to the 'American way'. That wasn't what the land of opportunity was all about at all, and it didn't sit well with what I'd learned at Central.

However, I was about to learn that life on Gael wasn't that simple, and that my values were going to need a little adjustment. Charles continued.

"The first group, the men of royal blood, are the only ones who can link directly to the power stored in the Road. The power allows us great strength, speed and endurance. This ability to draw on the Road is hereditary and it reaches its full capacity when a royal male 'emerges'.

"Each of us is also blessed with a high degree of skill in one regard or another. That is different from person to person. For me it was skill with the sword. For my son, it was an ability to tell when a man was lying.

"You seem you have been more highly blessed than others. You have an affinity with nature that extends to you being able to communicate with certain creatures. You are also able to use the power of 'the Road' to fly outside of dreamtime. That has never been known before. The power has only ever allowed physical strength to royals in the past."

I interrupted Charles again to inform him that I could also control the power so that I could use it as a weapon by firing it in blasts at a target. Surprisingly, he wasn't as pleased for me as I thought he would be.

"Are you serious, Sean?"

"Would you like me to demonstrate?" I asked.

"No, I believe you, but this should not be possible. There are supposed to be strict limits on what 'our kind' can do and that is certainly well beyond those limits. I'll explain why later, but for now I would caution you to keep these abilities a secret from all others.

"Let me continue. Those men of the royal blood are the rulers. If one of the royal lines should fail, then the kingdom of that family has to pass to one of the men in another royal family. That is one reason why it is important that you return to Gael. You are your father's only son, so if you refuse to accept your responsibilities, Axon will pass to one of the other families when your father dies.

"Those of royal blood may be the rulers, but Gael is a magical world and every king needs to have a consort or partner who is a wizard. Without a wizard they cannot rule! It is impossible! That's where the second group comes in.

"Women of royal blood are also blessed. They are normally born as wizards. Occasionally, if their magical talent is not strong enough, they take up religion, but normally they will be strong in magic and they will 'emerge' as wizards.

"Wizards are also aware of the power of the Road. They cannot link directly to it, but they can draw on it to help them perform their magic. It is the wizards who can make things fly, or who can summon power from 'the Road' to fire bursts of energy."

"If that is the case then why aren't the wizards the ones in control? Why do they need the royals?" I asked.

"Good question, youngling! The answer is quite simple. The people don't trust the wizards. It really is as simple as that. They believe that anybody who can do magic cannot be completely natural, so they don't trust them. The people would never follow the wizards, so they can never be rulers. They need the royals to do that job."