Chapter 26

The city was in uproar. News of General Howat's defeat and that the Scanian's were only a day away from the city caused panic. The first instinct was to withdraw inside the city walls and bar the gates, but King Kenneth wouldn't hear of that.

"Fools! Don't they realise that that would play right into Malcolm's hands? How much easier to control the Axonites than by having them cooped up inside the Gower City walls? No, tell the people to take to the plains and the hills!"

That was easier said than done. The people were used to living in the city and the countryside was alien to them. They saw the walls as their security and couldn't immediately see the wisdom in Kenneth's thinking.

The city militia had to resort to force to convince some of those who were very determined to stay. With only a day, there was little that we could do and my heart sank as I walked the streets and saw what little people were leaving with. They might not be rich, but to leave every stick of furniture behind was clearly a major blow to them.

I stood at the brow of a hill and watched the long line of people and animals snaking their way out of the city and into the wilderness beyond. Brenda was beside me and I could see that she was also extremely saddened at what was happening.

"It's awful, isn't it? All of these people fleeing their homes and everything they know. Look at that woman with the small children, how is she going to provide for them out there in the wild?"

I shook my head. Everywhere we looked it was the same story - misery and fear. Despite it all, people continually approached me to ask how the King was doing. It was obvious that the people of Gower saw King Kenneth as their salvation and they told us that they were praying to The Mother for his speedy recovery.

I had to admit to myself that I had seriously misjudged the King and his relationship with his people.

The King was still in the same, worrying, depressed mood. The only time he showed a spark of the old Kenneth was when General Howat himself made an appearance.

The King flew into a rage and berated the General for his defeat. The once proud soldier looked exactly as he was, a beaten and defeated man. His shoulders sagged and there was a haunted look behind his eyes.

"Tell me! Tell me how you managed to lose one of my armies!" shouted the King, trying to raise himself up off of the bed.

"I'm sorry, Highness. We did all that we could, but the Scanians always seemed to know where our weaknesses were. Magical weapons, balls of fire, explosions ... even mystery illnesses, assailed us. I was left with whole squads unable to fight, Highness. The Scanian troops appeared to grow before our very eyes, they rose to over seven-feet tall!"

The General was almost pleading for the King's understanding. He was desperate for somebody to give him some comfort, some relief from the guilt of presiding over such an utter defeat. Currently he was finding out how lonely it was at the top.

Before my eyes the King's whole attitude changed. He could see his trusty General's pain, and knew all too well the tricks that wizards could play on the battlefield. Kenneth let out a deep sigh.

"I'm sorry, Liam. I shouldn't be adding to your pain. Look at the state of me. I know to my cost how tricky those damned wizards can be! Because of them, I'm lying here like an old woman instead of leading my people against the Scanian scum!"

The General's expression brightened a little, as he grabbed at the straw the King was holding out to him. Kenneth told me later that a General who could think of nothing else but his last defeat was of no use to him or Axon. The King focused on trying to put some fire back in the man's belly so that he would be effective in leading resistance across the kingdom.

"Don't blame yourself, Liam. No one would have been able to prevail against the wizards unless he had his own wizards. But all is not lost, my friend!

"No, not by a long way! We need to use different tactics, that's all. If we strike Malcolm where he least expects it then he won't be able to use his damn wizards. We will weaken him with a thousand small cuts! Hit him and run! Wear him down! Make him rue the day he ever set foot in Axon. Destroy his communications! Pillage his supply trains! Kill them wherever we find them! Kill them in their beds! Make sure they never sleep secure while they sleep inside our borders! You can do this!"

It was an impassioned outburst and I marvelled at the way that Kenneth could do it almost at will. General Howat's chest had begun to puff out part way through the King's monologue and it was clear the words and the sentiment were affecting him greatly.

"What can I do, Highness?" asked the General, his enthusiasm already rekindled.

"Organise cells of men, train them in the new tactics. Rally the troops! Keep hope alive and await my return," said Kenneth.

By the time General Howat left us he was a different man! I was impressed, once again, by what being a King involved. Even from his sick bed and in spite of the pain he must be suffering, Kenneth had recognised where his duty lay and had worked for the benefit of his kingdom (I realised I was starting to consider it my kingdom, too).

Moving the King was another trial, as he became the most awkward cuss ever. He had a list of things that needed to be taken with him that was completely over the top. It was only when I reminded him of the limitation of what an eagle or I could carry while flying, that he relented and agreed to leave some things behind.

He was also insisting that I leave his transportation to the eagles so that I could visit General MacKinnon in the East and General Urquhart in the north.

"Highness, who else knows how to find the Valley of Perils? Even if they found it, how could you guarantee that they would be able to find a way through the perils?"

This was sneaky of me as, I had little doubt that Mòr Dubh would be able to take the King to the valley without me. I also intended to go to the standing stone end of the valley rather than have to pass all the way through it again. Still, Kenneth didn't know either of those things and he accepted my argument.

I was determined to see him well settled before going off on any 'missions' he might have for me. I was also still fretting about becoming an assassin. I was looking for anything that delayed the moment when I had to commit to that. Admittedly, Axon's latest setbacks and the role the Scanian wizards had played in them, was starting to change my opinion.

Several times I had tried to urge a more conventional approach with the King, but I had the suspicion that he still didn't trust me to act responsibly. I had another try as I flew the King from Gower that night.

"Why am I not going to General MacKinnon or General Urquhart so that I can help their armies against the Scanians? At least then we could fight magic with magic and they would stand a much better chance. Let's try to stop the rot, reverse the tide. Let me go to the front line!" I implored.

"Sean, I have made my decision. We change tactics until I am well enough to lead again. You worry about finding and killing Ingrid and her remaining daughter."

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were scared we might be able to do it without you!" I snapped.

Our flight-path took us close to where the Scanian army was camped for the night. We knew they would be marching into Axon's capital city the next day and that felt painful.

I was also able to sense a presence below me that I recognised - Ingrid! I had met her and given the circumstances under which we met, I wasn't likely to forget what she 'felt' like.

There was little point in telling Kenneth she was down below, as I suspected he would want us to attack immediately. The King was in no fit state for that, so I kept the knowledge to myself.

When we eventually arrived at the end of the valley of perils we hit a major problem. None of us could fly over the mountainside that marked where the valley should be. I had an idea what the problem might be and called to the eagles to land for a moment.

Once we were on the ground I made sure that the King was comfortable and being looked after by Mom, Brenda and baby John then I flew upwards once more. This time there was nothing stopping me from flying over the mountaintop, and down the other side to where the stone circle stood with the Hazeldew tree at its centre.

It appeared as if the only way to get to this part of the valley was to have personally made it there from the beginning of the valley. Well, that was one giant pain in the backside!

I returned to the others and let them know what I thought the problem was.

"But that's ridiculous! How are we supposed to survive all of those challenges, especially with the King in the state he's in?" Mom whined. She was right of course; they couldn't make it from one end of the valley to the other.

I found the entrance to the tunnel that ran under the mountain into the valley. This was where I had met Mòr Dubh on my way out of the valley of perils. Brenda followed me in. When we reached the other end of the tunnel, I could step through into the valley, but Brenda couldn't.

"Well, I guess we could live in the tunnel. At least it would be out of the weather. If the only way in is to walk all the way from the start of the valley, then we haven't got a prayer," said Brenda.

This was a real dilemma. We needed a safe haven, somewhere where King Kenneth could recover and recuperate, but it looked as if the valley was closed to everybody but me. Brenda's idea might be all right for a short while, but it was risky in terms of being trapped inside the cave. There was no alternative escape route for anyone else but me, but Brenda's words gave me a crazy idea.

"Wait for me here," I told Brenda, and I entered the valley.

It didn't take me long to reach the standing stones and I entered the circle. That same sense of comfort and security immediately settled over me and I sank to my knees in front of the perfect little tree. With no other obvious solutions to our problem, I prayed.

My dagger flashed across my left palm and I felt the sting of the cut. Bright red blood dripped onto the lush grass beneath me and then I heard a musical giggle. When I looked up, there was a hauntingly beautiful girl/woman before me.

"You are already my creature, Sean. You have been from the start and a few drops of your blood will make no difference. I have watched over you and helped you when necessary. It seems you need that help again now, but you simply had to ask for it. This elaborate ritual is not required."

I say girl/woman because it was hard to determine the age of the beauty before me. She looked very young, perhaps still in her teens even. There was something else though, similar to Charles, but even more acute. She exuded a sense of great age ... of deep, bottomless knowledge and wisdom.

An overwhelming sense of reverence washed over me as I looked at her. There was an even more spectacular aura around her than the Hazeldew tree had and I was stunned when it occurred to me that this was The Mother herself.

Her very skin seemed to radiate light and her hair was long and silvery. I knew it was as fine as silk without needing to touch it. Her eyes were the deepest blue and her smile made me melt inside.

"Are you real?" I asked.

Her laughter tinkled like silver bells and her smile lit up my world like a second sun.

"Of course I am real! Don't be foolish, Sean. You have asked for sanctuary for your family. You have asked me to allow them to enter this special place of mine. I am already minded to grant your request, but first let me discuss with you the task that I need you to undertake."