Chapter 7

Now that I had found out how to 'fly the Road' I was sorely disappointed when I didn't have my dream again that night or in the week running up to Christmas. I hid my disappointment by keeping busy doing other things.

Brenda invented a powerful snow-blower using scrap that she had reclaimed from my garage. Together we made the rounds of all my summer clients with an offer to keep their drive clear whenever there was fresh snow. We made a great team I thought - Brenda with her inventions, my truck and a little helping hand from the 'power' to make the jobs go that little bit faster.

The winter work helped bring in some extra money, which was a bonus with Christmas approaching and presents to buy. I was having trouble deciding what to buy my girl and I had even sunk so low as to ask her Mom for ideas!

"You decide, Sean. I'm sure so long as it's from the heart, Brenda will be delighted with it."

Huh? Fat lot of help that was! Maybe Mrs Thomas was getting into mother-in-law mode early? That was a worrying thought!

With only three days until Christmas I was still stumped and starting to really panic. Brenda didn't make things any easier as she smugly informed me that she had already bought my present.

I was lying on top of my bed trying to come up with a bright idea - any idea! - when I heard the voice inside my head. I knew by now that the voice was actually Charles, but I had fun keeping the two apart for some reason. Childish, perhaps, but it kept me happy!

"Youngling, why have you not returned? Have you forgotten already how to 'fly the Road'?" asked the voice.

"But I'm not sleeping," I replied automatically.

"Sean, were you sleeping when you flew up to the top of the Yew tree?"

Now that the voice asked the question I felt pretty damned stupid again! I was able to see the ley lines when I was awake, feel the power being absorbed into my body and of course I could fly. I don't know why I hadn't thought of being able to visit Charles without dreaming.

"But the last time I visited, I stayed for two years. Will that work again? If I'm awake when I fly the Road, won't I lose time in this 'other world'?" I asked.

My answer was the sound and this time also the feel of the voice laughing deeply.

"Between us, anything is possible Sean. Just close your eyes and 'fly the Road'. All you need to do is ensure that your resting body won't be in any danger while you're away. Your visits now are only to satisfy your training, and only seconds will pass in that other-world, while you are with me. Once your training is complete you can take one of the lesser roads to Gael. When that happens, everything will be in real time and then things will be as you expect them."

I did as he suggested and closed my eyes. I searched inside myself trying to find a way to connect with the road that I knew passed close to our house. At last I noticed the tap that I had used to turn off my 'feeding' from the Road when Grandma had worried I might explode.

I concentrated on turning the tap and immediately sensed a thin tendril of 'the power' snaking its way to me from the Road. I mentally connected with the little powerful streamer and willed myself to follow it to its source.

And then, suddenly, magically, I was there! Flying high above the Road. I couldn't mistake how much it stood out from the other, lesser, roads. As if to further re-assure me, six eagles swooped down from my left and squawked a greeting.

"Thank you for the welcome, my friends!" I called back to them.

I made a much better job of landing this time as I'd practised that during my two years with Charles and Grandma before. There was a placid looking pond below me, and curiosity made me land so that I could look at my reflection.

Yep, I was older than four years old. I guessed I was six ... the same age I had been when I left after my first visit. That somehow made sense, and I took to the air once more, focused now on reaching Grandma and Charles.

When I felt the pull from the Road urging me downwards, I resisted this time. Why bother walking the path, through the settlement and up the hillside? Why not just fly all the way to the cabin by the standing stones? So that's just what I did.

Charles was standing by the stone circle but Grandma was nowhere to be seen.

"Welcome back, youngling. It was stupid of me not to make sure of your knowledge before you left the last time. We will fix that now so you know how to reach me at all times. There is no harm done however, and it gave me cause to laugh - something you do a lot, Sean!"

I wasn't sure that making Charles laugh a lot was necessarily a good thing. He was at pains to remind me of how hard I had to work and how much there was to do. On second thoughts - he was too serious, so maybe it was good for him.

My lessons started at once. Charles led the way inside the stone circle and the feeling of security settled over me immediately. My teacher shouted to scatter the eagles that were still circling us. They squawked - I didn't dare tell Charles what they called him - and flew off to the West.

As he had promised, Charles' first subject for study was how I could contact him. We covered more detail of how I could 'fly the Road' and also how I could just speak to him in my head if I felt the need.

He had already told me that only a few seconds would pass in the Midwest despite how long I might stay on these visits. The explanation of how that could be the case, was something of a matter of faith.

"I know that you've heard of Australia in the other world, Sean. Have you learned anything about the indigenous people of that land?" asked Charles.

"I know that they're called Aboriginals," I replied.

"Yes. The Aboriginals have a way of connecting with another dimension, like the spirit world or a 'time without time'. They call it entering the dreamtime. Your visits to me are a bit like that. Everything that we are doing is actually taking place in a place I would call the 'everywhere'. It is supported by your subconscious, by the oldest parts of your brain and fuelled by the power that you draw from the Road. In this everywhere you can experience your past, your present and your future.

"I am your guide in this, but it is the power inside, your own connection with the everywhere, that makes it possible. You are close to the point where you will reach full maturity for a man of Gael. For people like you and me, the chemistry of that change makes many things possible, including these trips you are taking to complete your training.

"At some point you will need to really return to Gael. Return in the flesh I mean, not simply in the dreamtime. That is your destiny no matter how hard your Mother has tried to run away from it. When you do return time will pass normally here and in the other world.

"Now you can see why I am working you so hard! We have to make the most of this time we have been given. We need to exploit this suspension of time passing before your coming of age to make sure you're ready for what will surely come after it."

"And what will that be?" I asked Charles.

"There is much that you have to learn before I can tell you that, Sean. And even I do not know everything that the future holds for you. Some things cannot be seen."

Charles had done it again. He had teased me with the prospect of sharing my future, only to then tell me I had to study more first! This was one of the annoying habits he had that I'd described to Brenda. Thinking of Brenda reminded me of another question I had for Charles.

"Charles, is it possible for me to bring another person into my 'dreamtime'?"

He considered me carefully, obviously thinking hard about his answer to my question. I felt relieved that at least he hadn't simply laughed.

"To my knowledge that has never been done, youngling. I'm not saying it's impossible, but I don't think it can be done. Only our kind has this connection to the power of the Road. It has been our birthright for thousands of years, and we have striven to use it well. Yet who knows what abilities you have been born with, for are we not each, unique?" he finished.

Yep, and this was the other annoying habit Charles had! I'd asked a question and his answer just raised another three questions for me to consider. He was using that 'our kind' phrase again. What did he mean by 'birthright' and 'thousands of years', and why didn't he know what abilities I had been born with?

I remembered my lesson from my last visit and decided not to ask any more questions for a while.

"You said that I needed to make sure my body was in a safe place before I came here. But you also said that only a few seconds would pass in the other world. If only a few seconds will pass, why do I need to worry so much about where I might lie down when I come?"

"It takes less than a second to die, Sean. Whether from some accident, natural causes or at the hands of an enemy."

Of course I gulped at that. It was a sobering thought! Your own death and how easy and quick it could be. It was a thought that 'nearly eighteen-year-olds' don't naturally dwell on much.

"What happens if someone does find my body back there while I'm with you?" I asked.

"When they speak to you or touch you, you will awaken. Hopefully, alive, Sean. I cannot caution you strongly enough to only visit me here when your body will be safe!"

There was a lot of other stuff to do with security and even how to connect to the Road much faster that I won't waste time on here. Charles' lessons about the Road and contacting him were spread over a week and I'm sure no one wants to hear that level of detail!

Charles told me that on this trip, Grandma would be responsible for some of my lessons.

"Gwendolin will teach you all there is to know about the spiritual worship here on Gael. She is an adept of the màthraichean but she has studied all of the other gods and their worship too."

Grandma was delighted to see me again and decided that a feast should be held to honour my return. I found out now that Grandma had caused the awe and respect on the faces of the people in the settlement. She held an important position apparently and the villagers couldn't do enough to keep her happy.

It didn't take Grandma long before she had people running round doing her bidding. Men were sent out to hunt fresh meat and the women in the village began to gather fruits, berries and plants to cook with the meat.

Charles told me that I should go with the hunters as another part of my studies.

"You will begin to learn about Gael's creatures during this visit, Sean. I know already that you have a unique ability. You can speak with the eagles and understand what they are saying, but I suspect that you can do more than that. It is time to find out how your relationship with the animals affects your behaviour. Will you be able to hunt and kill in order to eat?"

Charles seemed to think this was going to be a trial for me. I was less worried. Eating meat had never been a problem and I was at least intelligent enough to know where meat came from. Eating meat had never made me feel guilty in the past. That knowledge made me feel that hunting animals wouldn't be too difficult. It turned out that I was both right and wrong!

The village was home to perhaps just over a hundred people - men, women and children. The hunting party I joined was made up of eight of the youngest and fittest in the village. They complained bitterly when they found out I was going with them. The hunt was no place for a six-year-old boy, even if he was training with Charles. It only took a word from Grandma to change their minds, though.

I should spend some time describing what the hunters (and other villagers for that matter) wore and what they used for weapons. Clothing was made from sewn together hides for the most part. The men wore shirts, rough breeches and had some kind of moccasins for their feet. Some had additional hide on their moccasins that made them into soft boots.

The women's clothing was either hide or the same rough cloth that Grandma's robes were made from - although the colour for the villagers was brown rather than green.

Weapons came in the shape of spears, swords and daggers. For the hunters it was largely spears and sharp daggers. I already knew that the people of Gael were masters in metalworking from the dishes, cups and eating utensils that I had used in my time here. The use of metal extended to their weapons too and the blades of the spears and daggers looked wickedly sharp.

I soon noticed that spears came in three main sizes. One was long with a relatively short blade. I later discovered that it was designed mostly for use on horseback (or for fighting people who were on horseback).

The second version was shorter and had a longer, slightly wider, blade. This was referred to by the hunters, as the stabbing spear. I would very quickly witness how skilled they were in using the spear to gralloch their kills.

The final spear was midway in size between the other two and it was a throwing spear. The blade was much smaller and the length of the spear was tapered towards the butt to give it perfect balance for throwing.

Just as dawn was breaking, the leader of the party led the way out of the village. We were on horseback and the hunters made it clear they expected to travel fast. There had been a slight delay when I'd indicated the horse I wanted to ride.

"No one can ride Mòr Dubh. He will let no one near him," I was told.

Instead a much smaller beast was identified for me. Some of the hunters watched me closely as I mounted, no doubt curious about my riding skill (or lack of it). What they saw must have satisfied them that I would at least manage to stay on the horse's back.

A brisk ride brought us to a small watering hole on the edge of a forest. There were tracks leading to and from the water's edge, indicating that game drank here. The leader of the hunting party signalled for us all to dismount and one of the hunters was singled out to look after the horses.

The rest of us spread out and began to enter the forest line abreast. The leader - he told me his name was Erik - insisted that I remain close to him. There is a lot of skill involved in moving through a forest without making any noise. Successful hunting depends on having that kind of skill, so you can get close enough to your prey to make the kill.

I believe Erik wanted me close by so that he could monitor the amount of noise I was making. Now, that was almost as bad as laying down a challenge and I wasn't going to let him have his fun at my expense!

Ok, I admit it. I cheated and used the power. By focusing, I could look as if I was walking normally, but my feet were not actually touching the ground at any point. The result was that I was the quietest of all of the party by far! Imagine Erik's surprise, a six-year-old with better stalking skills than his!

We came across a small glade after about ten minutes. The sunlight through the trees created a dappled effect on the grass and acted as perfect camouflage for several small deer.

I sensed the deer before any of the hunters picked them up. It was then that I learned my first lesson about my attitude to hunting. The deer were a mother and one youngster. I could hear her gentling the baby and cautioning it to remain constantly alert for danger. I knew immediately that I couldn't stand by and let the hunters kill them.

"Run Momma deer! Run and keep your lovely daughter safe! Away with you at once or the hunters' steel will surely spill your heart's blood!"

The words were all thought inside my head, but somehow I knew the deer would hear and understand my warning.

It worked. The first the hunters knew of the pair was when they saw the little white tails vanishing deeper into the forest. Erik looked up and down the line with real anger. He believed that someone must have made a noise to spook the deer, and he wasn't happy. I hid my smile and continued walking.

Twenty minutes later we came across another deer, a buck this time. My senses didn't pick him up as early as I had the others. There was something different about this fella as well - it was like he had no personality inside.

The phrase that came into my head was: an 'offering'. At first I was annoyed at myself for the phrase but the more I thought about it, the more accurate I knew it was. The deer had no voice and the activity inside its head was so basic that I knew it wasn't capable of thought. At the same time I realised I had no feelings of guilt about the hunters killing this deer. Someone or something had put animals like this here, as an offering. They were here for meat.

Surprisingly, I wasn't confused about the apparent contradiction or 'double standards' in warning the mother and her baby but permitting the kill of the buck. In fact, I felt relief that my original view that hunting wouldn't trouble me was at least half-right. This would require some more thought, but that would need to come later. For now, the hunt was on!

Some hand signals from Erik sent three of the hunters looping round the buck. I focused on what they were doing and also on what Erik and the three remaining hunters were up to.

I didn't have to wait long before their plan became clear. The first three hunters began to make a racket to frighten the buck. Their positioning meant that when the deer ran in the opposite direction, it was running parallel to Erik and his crew. That exposed the largest target - the deer's flank - and Erik and his three friends hurled their throwing spears at him.

Two of the spears hit home and the buck tumbled to the ground. Even before it hit the ground, Erik was already bounding forward with his stabbing spear at the ready. I followed and watched as he swiftly cut the buck's throat and then disembowelled it.

The entire hunting party was happy with its efforts and it was agreed that the deer was a good start. More would be required to feed the entire village, but I decided I had seen enough. There was something else I wanted to investigate more than seeing more dumb animals slaughtered.

Erik was pleased when I announced that I was returning to the village. His respect for Grandma meant he assigned one hunter to escort me back to where we had left the horses.

Once back in the village I wasted no time in returning to the horse pens. The huge black stallion I had originally wanted to ride was certainly not a dumb animal. What I had sensed earlier had been a proud beast suffering a lot of pain and I felt the need to do something about it.

I could sense him eyeing me and wondering whether I was going to be the latest of the two-legs to try to climb onto his back. I laughed at his thoughts.

"No, Big-Black. I am not going to try that just yet. I can feel the pain you are feeling in your back and won't make it any worse."

His eyes rolled backwards and his front hooves stamped nervously. This was new and frightening. I could sense the reaction to his first real communication with a 'two-legs'. He shied away, turned his back on me and walked to the other side of the pen.

"I only want to help you, Big-Black. There is no need for you to run from me."

The stallion turned to look at me again.

He snorted and pawed at the ground a little, his head dropping. I could sense him trying to decide whether he could trust me. It was a big step for him to take. All that he knew from the villagers was pain and he had equated all 'two-legs' with that up until now.

"Mòr Dubh, let me try. I feel your pain, let me try to take it away for you. Let me ease your suffering."

"You are smaller than the other two-legs, but just as arrogant! What gives you the right to choose my name? Why do you speak about taking away my pain as if you have the power of the mother herself?"

"I'm not choosing your name. You are big and you are black. What else should I call you?"

The stallion actually snickered at me!

"When I meet somebody new for the first time, I do this. What is your name, what should I call you?"

I'm sure my face must have turned red with embarrassment. A horse was reminding me of my manners and my Mom would have warmed the seat of my pants if she had heard me being so rude.

"Of course, you're right. I'm sorry. My name is Sean. What should I call you?"

"Well, I am big and I am black so perhaps you should call me Mòr Dubh."

He snickered at his own joke and walked slowly towards me across the pen.

"Are you one of the mother's chosen? You have the scent of her about you."

I noticed that he had used the term 'mother' twice now. He had already asked me if I thought I had the power of the mother herself and now he was asking if I was one of her chosen.

"I have a mother if that's what you mean, but she is a long way away from here. Gwendolin is my Grandmother, though."

By now the stallion had reached the rails of the pen where I stood and I was able to study him from close quarters. His coat was so black it glinted blue in the sunlight. He was powerful, broad-shouldered and deep chested yet at the same time sleek. His mane was long and shaggy down his proud neck and his long nose gave him an intelligent look.

"I know of the small female 'two-legs', that is called Gwendolin. She is certainly one of the mother's creatures so perhaps you have some good in you if you are from her stock. You talk as if you don't understand what is beneath our feet and all around us. Everything has been made by the mother. The màthraichean, the two-legs call it.

His description made it sound as if he was talking about what people in the Midwest might call 'mother earth'. I could live with that, after all I was good with the soil, with plants and with animals.

The stallion was close enough for me to stroke his flank and feel the hard muscle below the skin. He didn't shy away from me now, but instead seemed content to let me touch him. I could sense where his pain was centred and I let my right hand come to rest on that spot. It was almost in the middle of his back and my touch could feel a hard lump close to the spine.

"This is what is causing you the pain. I sense that it is a growing thing. It is getting bigger and eventually it will take your noble life from you."

A small crowd of villagers had gathered to watch what was happening. They couldn't hear the conversation between the stallion and myself. Instead they had only witnessed the horse walk across the pen and let me stroke him.

"Some of the foolish two-legs have come to see what you are doing. Perhaps they are hoping to see me throw you up in the air." Mòr Dubh snorted.

I ignored his words and the villagers as I was concentrating on the lump. An image of a certain plant - the Fire Thistle - came into my head. That was quickly followed by an image of the fleshy nut that could be found at the heart of the prickly head of the thistle. I knew then what to do.

"I know of something that might help with this, my friend. I must search in the fields for what I need, but I will return soon.

The huge soulful black eyes watched me unblinking, as I turned and strode off into the fields to try to find some of the thistles. They were common enough but for obvious reasons painful to harvest. With a dozen of the heads wrapped up in my sweater and numerous barbs still sticking into my fingers, I returned to the village.

Grandma gave me a sharp dagger and that made the job of stripping the nuts out of the thistles that much easier. She also fussed over me as she pulled the stinging barbs from my skin.

"Whatever possessed you to go picking Fiery Thistles, Sean? Everybody knows they have a nut at their centre, but the pain is not worth the prize," she scolded me.

The stallion ate the nut from my hand when I offered it. His nostrils flared and his long tongue scooped up the small object.

"You suffered while picking this thing, Sean. I can still smell your blood."

"My pain was nothing compared to what you are feeling, my friend. It was a small price to pay, although my Grandma doesn't see it that way! She is ignorant of the properties of this plant, it seems."

I fed Mòr Dubh one of the thistle nuts each day for the next twelve days. The lump gradually reduced in size and I could sense his pain was receding too. By the twelfth day the lump was completely gone and the stallion was pain-free. He celebrated by racing round and round in his pen, jumping, bucking and kicking his legs up.

The villagers had continued to watch me stroking the horse each day. They were amazed that he let me touch him and that he ate from my hand like a baby. On the twelfth day they watched as he celebrated in the pen and there was downright disbelief when I called him over to the rails and hopped up onto his back.

Several of the women screamed and one ran off to fetch Grandma, no doubt convinced that I would soon be badly injured.

Mòr Dubh tossed back his head and then reared up with his front legs pawing the air. When he dropped back to the ground he sprang forward and I knew I was in for the ride of my life. He showed the villagers how pointless their fencing was when he leapt over the rails with ease. There were shouts of alarm behind us as we galloped at breakneck speed across the fields.

Erik was the first to approach us when we eventually returned to the village. From the look on his face, I could tell that he was eager to try riding the magnificent horse. I slipped to the ground to let him try his luck but Mòr Dubh wouldn't even allow him to get close. Erik had to dance back out of reach of the slashing hooves and the gnashing teeth.

"Only you, Sean. I will not bear any of these other foolish two-legs."

With his point made, the stallion quieted down, and let me lead him to the pen. I found some hay, and I used it to rub him down. Then I gave him some grain to eat. After that Mòr Dubh was the only horse I would ride on my visits to see Charles.

During the rest of that visit, Grandma taught me more about the mother and how she was worshipped. Some of what she taught me, gave me grounds to believe that my theory about the 'offerings' was somehow tied in with the mother.

Gwendolin recited a story where the animals refused to listen to the mother and began to destroy their habitat. They ate all of the plants they could find in one place until the land turned to desert and then they moved on.

"The mother warned them that they were being foolish. They were laying waste to land for all the creatures and the whole of Gael was threatened. They chose not to listen to the mother so she put a curse upon them.

"She told them:

"'You are acting like dumb creatures and your foolishness threatens all other life on Gael. Others starve because of your greed and the wastelands you have created. From this moment on you will be reduced to being dumb creatures for all time. You will also suffer by becoming the source of food for the others to replace what has been lost.'

"And that is the reason why we hunt and eat meat. The animals are offerings from the mother to make sure that we can survive," said Grandma.

Gwendolin also taught me about the other forms of worship on Gael. I learned even more about the healing properties of plants and earned praise from Charles for already having gathered a store in the other world. Charles also had me studying the creatures of Gael on this trip. Many were no different than the animals I had learned of in the other world - from TV, the local Zoo and in the countryside surrounding our town.

There were some differences however. Charles mentioned some names that I had never heard of. He talked about Args and Creach Hounds. He also referred to fairies and other intelligent life-forms on Gael but true to form, Charles told me that I would only be allowed to study them once I had finished my work on the second level of understanding of the ground beneath us.

My disappointment at having to return to my study of the soil was quickly dispelled when I found out the second level was about minerals, ores and the basic elements. High school chemistry at last became useful (and I had questioned its relevance while doing lots of homework!). Something else was also explained.

When I asked Charles about physics he looked blank. I tried to explain what I had learned at Central High School but the concept of gravity, electricity, and even the laws of motion were all alien to my ancient teacher.

"These are not things that hold any relevance on Gael, Sean. This thing you call gravity ... if it exists, how do you explain the fact that you can fly? How does this 'physics' explain the power of the Road?"

That at least explained why there were no machines or advanced technology around me. For some reason the study of physics had never taken off here or maybe it was as Charles had said ... Physics, as I knew it, simply didn't work the same on Gael.

My studies were just as hard as they had been on my first trip. Charles was a demanding teacher and there was always a bit more to be done before he would let me relax by riding Mòr Dubh.

It was the combination of my friendship with the big stallion and my new studies of metals that eventually solved my problem of finding a Christmas present for Brenda.

Big-Black and I were riding through the hills a few miles to the east of the village, and I was idly sensing the rock and minerals below our feet. Our path was winding through a narrow gorge in the rock and I stopped at a stream to allow the stallion to take a well-earned refreshing drink.

Something sharp intruded into my daydreams and I realised my almost automatic sensing of the minerals below us had identified something unusual. I gave myself a shake and focused on what it was that was different.

Well, praise the Lord and pass the biscuits! Gold! My senses had picked up on a small fragment of gold in the rock just where it had been worn away, by the erosion of the stream. I jumped down from the stallion's back and went to investigate.

It appeared as if most of the gold had been washed away by the stream, but there was a little left. It was a small lump, perhaps about the size of a Robin's egg. I had sufficient power stored within me to easily scoop the nugget out of the rock. Close examination showed that the gold was almost red in colour, different to the processed gold I was used to seeing in the other world. There was also a smooth black stone in the hole the gold had come from and I picked it up and stashed it in my pocket.

The image of a brooch in the shape of Big-Black sprang into my mind, and a feeling of joy rushed through me. I lost all sense of control and immediately felt the exact same as I had once before. I remembered how I had lost my temper once and had watched in disbelief as the garden was transformed around me. Clippings had flown everywhere until somehow all of the weeds in our garden had been pulled from the ground and the yard was totally clear. It was a similar feeling now and I could do nothing to control it.

After a few minutes the feeling of control returned. I looked down and the brooch I had imagined in my head was now nestled in my hand. The craftsmanship was incredible, the detail exact in every way. I glanced from the brooch to the full-sized stallion standing close beside me and the images were identical.

I knew Brenda would love it! It would also make it easier for me to describe my friend the stallion to her when I returned to the other world.

Edited By TeNderLoin