Our preparations were complete. The King and I had planned to leave the valley in the morning. Brenda, baby John, and Mom, would be remaining here for safety while King Kenneth would try to rid Axon of the Scanian invaders.
Messages had come in from the eagles. They told us that the generals had managed to raise a sizeable force. Kenneth was satisfied that he would have enough to start the job of pushing back his enemies. Of course, what he really wanted was to kill King Malcolm. That would be the real prize!
If he managed that, there was a possibility that three hundred years of enmity between Axon and Scania would come to an end.
I was determined that I was going to take another trip into dreamtime to make an attempt at carrying out the mission The Mother had set for me. It made sense to do that before we were caught up in fighting Malcolm and his hordes.
"I need to take another trip into dreamtime, " I told Brenda.
A look of concern crossed my girl's face immediately.
"What is it, Sean? Why do you need to go back there?"
"I think something strange is going on. It is something that's affecting life here in the real world. From what Charles taught me, that shouldn't be possible.
"The place called dreamtime is only supposed to exist for each individual and only as a place for them to visit in preparation for their coming of age.
"Now it seems to be something more. Maybe it always has been and Charles didn't realise it. However, whatever's happened, I'm positive dreamtime is affecting Gael. Take your coma for example. That was down to Prince Erik and he's been dead for three hundred years!"
Brenda shivered at the memory of her ordeal.
"I don't understand dreamtime or how ghosts from hundreds of years ago can control us in the here and now. I know that I don't want you going off on your own, though, Sean Taggart. You can be such a goof if I'm not there to keep you straight ... and I'm not forgetting that there are some guys there that I have a bone to pick with!"
That was more like the Brenda I knew, confident and in control.
"If I can call you to dreamtime with me, I will," I told her.
She seemed satisfied with that and we lay down to go to sleep. Once I was comfortable, I searched within me for my link to 'the Road'. In the past I had been able to control it by imagining a tap and controlling the flow with it. Now I couldn't find the tap. As the tap was something I had made up myself, I didn't understand why it wasn't there, or why I couldn't just imagine another one.
I focused and tried to make some kind of connection with Charles, but again there was nothing there. I tried and I tried but nothing would work. Eventually my tossing and turning must have got too much for Brenda.
"Sean, is something wrong?" she asked.
I sighed.
"I'm trying to visit dreamtime but it's not working. The last time I was there Charles said something about 'them' throwing me out. That's what it felt like too. After I cut off Erik's arm it was as if I had been bodily thrown from there back into the real world. Now it feels as if dreamtime has been closed off to me somehow."
Brenda didn't know about the task I had been set by The Mother and therefore didn't see my inability to return to dreamtime as big a deal as I did.
"That's disappointing, and I was really looking forward to settling up with those guys, too! Maybe it'll work another night? Anyway, there's probably more than enough to keep us busy right here in Axon," she said sleepily.
I stopped wriggling around long enough for Brenda to get to sleep then tried to enter dreamtime again. My second effort was just as fruitless as the first. Eventually I fell asleep myself, nursing my frustration.
In the morning King Kenneth was in fine spirits and he was keen to start our journey to meet up with General Howat. Liam Howat had taken charge of the first troops that had been raised while generals MacKinnon and Urquhart were riding the length and breadth of Axon to raise more.
We had decided to travel in daylight and to use the eagles to avoid more people seeing me using magic. Our flight lasted nearly two hours and took us to the edge of the Gapian Mountains. From high up in the sky it was relatively easy to pick out the Axon troops and we swooped low to find the General.
I could tell that King Kenneth was disappointed in the size and make-up of the army that had mustered so far. There were perhaps twelve hundred gathered in total, but nearly all of them were infantrymen with only a smattering of cavalry and archers.
"Is this the best that you could do, Liam?" the King demanded sourly.
"It is difficult, Highness. Most people are more interested in protecting their families and what few possessions they have left. I'm amazed we managed to gather as many as we have," Howat replied.
"We need to give the people something to raise their spirits, something that will heat their blood, something to make them rise up! Something to rally around!"
General Howat shared what little information his scouts had been able to gather. The main concentration of Scanian troops here in the south was not surprisingly the capital city of Gower. Around two thousand troops occupied the city.
There were three other, smaller, garrisons and Kenneth was more interested in these as a possible target. His plan was to score a few easy victories to help raise morale without losing too many troops.
I asked the eagles to fly out and gather better, up-to-date, intelligence and the King ordered the General to start the Axon army moving north and eastward.
We marched for three days and all the while the eagles kept us informed about what the Scanians were up to. Kenneth decided he wasn't going to take any chances with this first action in what he hoped would be a successful campaign. He told the general and I that the attacks on the three garrisons should be mounted simultaneously and should take place at night.
Kenneth hoped we would catch the Scanians asleep, and would be able to take care of them without incurring casualties. From the way he was talking, I knew that he would be spreading the word about three victories to stir the Axonites if all went according to plan.
"You have command of three hundred and will attack the camp at Lesser Cowdrey, Liam. Sean, you take another three hundred and take care of Glasden. And Sean, use as much magic as you like. I've decided that there is no point in keeping that ability hidden any longer! We need it!"
The King was taking the largest body of men and would attack the largest garrison, which was based at a town called Fauldhouse.
"Try to make sure none escape to give Gower any warning," the King added.
We split up to make our way into position just as darkness was falling. As the time for action drew nearer, my own troops grew nervous, but eager to strike back at the invaders. My keen senses helped me identify the sentries that the garrison had on duty.
With no bar on using magic, I was able to fly into the most advantageous positions and strike the men down easily enough. They were quickly tied up and left for dealing with later.
After seeing me fly, the men in my force were suddenly treating me differently. The fact that I was a prince stopped them from turning on me, but I sensed some hostility and suspicion. Whispering started immediately and I decided to put a stop to it quickly.
"Listen, we are in this together. I'm sure all of you have heard about what happened in the battles at Randall and other places? Yes, I see that you have. The Scanians have been using wizards against us and that has given them an advantage.
"That ends here. My friends, I am a wizard as well as a prince. You might not like that, but I can assure you that you'll change your mind when faced with a Scanian magic user. Now, I suggest you get over your shock and focus on the job we have to do!"
After that the men calmed down a little, but if anything the looks I was getting were even more suspicious than before. There was no more time to argue with them until after we dealt with the Scanians however. My next priority was to eradicate the leaders of the garrison.
"All right. The officers are billeted in the four houses at this end of the village, they need to be taken care of first," I said to my captains.
There were more than enough volunteers and I could see daggers appearing in the hands of more than enough infantrymen to do the job. I could also sense the men moving forward in the darkness, as they entered the houses to carry out their grizzly task.
Again the take down of the officers was ridiculously easy and all that remained was a similar, if bigger, job to take out the main body of Scanian troops. The biggest handicap was the fact that the men were spread throughout so many houses in the town. There was also a danger of confusing Axon villagers with Scanian troops and we needed to encircle the town to prevent anyone from escaping to warn Gower.
Once the various squads of men entered the houses, I gave them a few minutes before casting a spell to provide us with enough light to spot any potential escapees.
"Solas!" I cried and a number of bright flares suddenly lit up the sky above us.
The light did illuminate several Scanians who had avoided my men in the dark, and they were quickly caught and dispatched.
It had been a particularly gruesome task, but my men seemed to have relished the opportunity of striking a blow for the liberation of their kingdom. Thankfully the bloodletting hadn't been as bad as it might have been, but now I had prisoners to look after. Before I could stop them, the Axon troops had managed to get hold of vina and lea and were drinking it in great quantities to celebrate their victory.
As I had suspected, King Kenneth used the news of the three successes (yes, the other two attacks went off just as easily as my own) to try to inspire more local people to join our army. As a result we managed to recruit another four hundred men to add to our numbers.
"I don't think we are ready to attack Gower, Highness. We need more cavalry and archers before that would be possible," lamented General Howat.
"Nonsense, Liam! You need to be more bold man. Our people want to see stunning victories. They have been without hope for months, we need to give them it back and I can think of no better way to do that than to free Gower!"
The general was clearly not convinced and I decided to side with my King on this occasion.
"The King has a secret weapon on his side, General. I have hidden my abilities up until now, but no longer will I do so. Axon will have strong magic on our side when we re-take Gower from the enemy!"
"Yes, Highness. Word of your abilities has already reached me. It seems that many who were with you at Glasden last night are disturbed to be close to you. Many are asking the question how is it possible for a man to have magical ability?"
"Sean is a wizard, Liam. I know that is highly unusual. Perhaps he is unique. But it is an advantage that we badly need in our present circumstances," said the King.
Even the general looked as if he didn't trust me now that he knew of my magical abilities. I hoped that I would be able to win people over in the coming days and weeks.
The boot was on the other foot over the next week as we marched for Gower. The Scanians now became the ones who were mounting hit and run raids on us, trying to slow our progress and weaken us as much as possible before we could reach the city of Gower.
The presence of the eagles overhead, meant that we were always warned however. Quite a few of Malcolm's precious cavalry found that there was an ambush waiting for them when they tried to strike us.
Malcolm had different tactics from Kenneth. He decided to try to hold the city against us. When we arrived at Gower in the late afternoon, I could see that the city walls were manned and the gates were closed and barred.
"Set pickets and tell the men to rest well, we'll survey the city in the morning," Kenneth ordered General Howat.
"Why not take the city tonight and sleep in your own bed, Highness?" I asked him.
The King gave me one of his looks.
"And how do you intend that we do that, Sean?"
Despite the fact that Kenneth had given me the go ahead to use magic, I could only guess that all the years of having no wizard had dulled his imagination about how it could help.
"I was thinking that I would simply open the gates for you and then our army could walk in. I'll even provide some light once you and the men are in position inside the walls. If things go well I might even make myself available to battle with Ingrid and her daughter if they are here," I said musingly.
Kenneth's look of disdain vanished as he realised what I was saying was not only possible, but with magic, relatively easy.
"What do you say, Liam?" Kenneth grinned.
"Mmmm, now let me see, Highness. Walk through the gates in the dark to take the Scanians by surprise or try to climb over heavily defended city walls in daylight? A difficult choice, but I think on balance, I'll opt for an attack tonight."
This was a completely different man than the broken general who had appeared in front of the King three months before.
Our men were told to rest, but to be ready for action once darkness fell. That sent a buzz round the camp, as everywhere men speculated on what we were planning.
Officers were called to the King's tent once it was dark. I watched their eyes widen and the smiles light up their faces. They too could quickly grasp the fact that a night attack through open gates would save many lives, their own included. The looks I was getting were beginning to be less frosty.
The King split our force into four, one for each of the four city gates. His photographic memory helped him pinpoint each of the strategic targets inside the walls.
"We need to enter the four gates at different times," I warned him.
"Why?"
"Unless you want the sentries at the gates to sound the alarm, I'm going to have to take care of them before I open the gates. I can't be at four gates all at one time," I answered.
The order of opening the gates was agreed upon. Predictably, the King wanted his gate to be the first. The officers left to prepare their men for the attack.
We waited until well after darkness fell, for a number of reasons. Our men had marched all day. It made sense to let them have the chance to rest and even snatch some food. If we left the assault until the middle of the night it was also more likely that the Scanians would be asleep.
I flew above the King and the four hundred men he was leading. When I heard the noise they were making, I knew that the Scanians sentries would hear them long before they reached the gates.
There were several options open to me to deal with this. I could summon up a charm to make the sentries deaf, or I could knock them all unconscious. As I'd planned to knock them out anyway, I saw little point in casting another spell. I quickly flew ahead of the King, and made short work of the guards.
By the time Kenneth arrived at the gates, they were standing open. There were no Scanians to oppose his entry into the city. Meanwhile, I was flying as quickly as I could to the next gate. If the King and his men were anything to go by, I had to deal with the sentries quickly, before the racket alerted them to an attack.
By the fourth gate, I had my tactics down to a fine art, and the guards were unconscious well before they would have heard any noise. All of the city's gates were now open and Axon troops were pouring into the city. Now was the time to announce our presence and to give the King some extra help if he needed it.
I flew to what I sensed was just about the middle of the city and cast spells to send flares into the night sky. Within a few minutes the streets below were all as clear as day. I could see that the Axon troops were already herding scores of Scanians out of the houses and lining them up.
My next stop was the palace itself and I flew there as quickly as I could. The King had planned to make directly for the palace with a core of our best troops, but there was a likelihood that Malcolm would have his Queen, Ingrid, or her remaining daughter, Eva, with him. If that was the case, the quality of Kenneth's troops might mean nothing.
I conjured up some further flares as I flew and by the time I reached the palace I could see that here too the Scanians had been taken by surprise and overwhelmed. A large circle of men had gathered round two figures in the gardens and I could see they were fighting with swords.
Landing inside the circle, I grew anxious when I realised that the two men were actually Kenneth and Malcolm. The watching troops were awed by the speed and strength of two 'royals' who were fighting with all of their power.
"Stay out of this, Sean," called Kenneth to me.
I could sense both the Kings were linked to the road. My focus on them was broken when the circle suddenly opened at two points and first a black leopard entered the circle and then a huge wild boar. The beasts began to patrol round the fighting monarchs and the circle of troops backed away a few paces, some of them clutching their spears nervously.
My focus was now on both the beasts and the two fighting Kings. I had little doubt that whichever King managed to kill the other, their birth creature would try to avenge their death. I was poised to stop the boar from using its wicked looking tusks on Kenneth if I could.
Strangely, given the circumstances, it occurred to me that I had never known what Aiden's birth creature was and what had happened to it. Was it out there somewhere hunting me down?
My eyes returned to Kenneth and Malcolm and I tried to follow the blur of movement. Their swords rang out when they met and they appeared very evenly matched from what I could see.
Time and again each of the combatants sallied forward with combinations of cuts and thrusts. I knew just how heavy the sabres they were using became after only a few minutes of swinging them with the intensity they were. The power of 'the Road' was keeping both of them going, however. It wouldn't be fatigue that settled this personal duel.
An incredible twenty minutes later they were both still going at it. The men around them were looking at each other in amazement at the physical stamina on display. They were also still eyeing the leopard and the boar warily, anxious that the beasts might attack them at any moment.
The screech of eagles alerted me to the fact that Mom, Brenda and baby John had disobeyed the King's orders to remain in the valley until he sent for them. I didn't see them land, perhaps because the eagles didn't trust a landing inside the circle, but they pushed their way through the troops and were soon at my side.
"Don't come between me and the boar!" I warned them.
"Sean, you have to stop this before Kenneth is hurt!" demanded Mom.
I risked a quick glance at her face and saw her concern. I wondered if Mom's opinion of the King was changing? She had taken most of his nursing duties upon herself over the past few months and that had brought them both together a lot.
"He will not thank us if we stop it, Mom."
"But Malcolm has lost anyway. This defeat and his capture are surely the beginning of the end?" she cried.
"All the more reason why Malcolm won't surrender," I replied.
"What happened to Ingrid and her daughter?" asked Brenda.
"There's been no sign of them. Now let me concentrate!"
The epic fight between Kenneth and Malcolm showed no signs of slowing down. Cut, thrust, parry, riposte, thrust, block, counter-thrust and so it went on. I didn't know it then, but this fight would become a thing of legend on Gael in years to come.
The speed with which the kings were moving meant that most people missed what happened to settle the contest. Kenneth was fractionally quicker than Malcolm with one thrust and his blade deflected from his opponent's guard. The point of Kenneth's sabre opened a deep cut on Malcolm's lower arm and I knew that would seriously weaken the Scanian king before long.
That proved to be the case, but Malcolm didn't succumb easily. Still, five minutes later he was slow in making another parry. Kenneth was through his defence with a slash that opened him diagonally from his shoulder to his middle.
Malcolm tried to hold his sabre steady in front of himself, but Kenneth flicked it aside imperiously as he ran his opponent through.
Mom and Brenda both gasped and I hoped that my wife had shielded John's eyes from what had happened. My eyes were on the boar! I was poised to fire a surge of power at it as soon as it charged Kenneth.
Before the boar could move, the leopard darted forward. It sprang for the boar's throat. This struggle wasn't anywhere near as monumental, or as long as the sword fight had been. The leopard's bite crushed the boar's windpipe. That suffocated the life out of the boar in less than a minute.
The cheers now rang out from our troops. They had played their part in re-taking Gower and then had the privilege of watching two physical giants match themselves against each other in a memorable contest.
Kenneth wore a huge grin as he walked over to us. Mom actually pushed past me and threw her arms around him! That surprised me! I saw that Brenda wore a little grin too.
"Let's see what the Scanian scum have done to my palace," said Kenneth. "With luck we can find enough food and vina to put on a celebration."
Even as we were walking through the corridors of the palace Kenneth was firing out orders.
"Make sure the prisoners are well guarded, there are still too many of them for comfort. I want them released one hundred at a time, with a half-day between the release of each group.
"The prisoners will do our job for us. Within a week the invaders occupying our other cities will know that their king is dead, and that Scania has a new royal family."
The King stopped walking, and of course our whole party had to do likewise. He reached up, and lifted the plain golden circlet from his head. Kenneth walked over to stand in front of me, and placed the circlet on my head.
"I name you 'Sean àn Tàcheart', King of Scania!"
Edited by TeNderLoin