Behind the Sorcerer's Cloak (18 page)
Adam roused again. He still lay in grayness but his mind was a little clearer. He relaxed, letting the events of the previous night return to him.
He'd been hurt. His arms and shoulders had been sore because he'd hung on so long to Zorianna's cloak. His body stiffened as he remembered the journey through the mist and the tumble from the staff.
Adam shifted his shoulders and flexed his back muscles. He didn't hurt now. Why? Another memory surfaced: the vague image of the beautiful woman bending over him. That was it. He'd been rescued by the Lady.
Weak with relief, Adam relaxed under the comfort of the wrap she'd dropped over him. He couldn't believe how lucky he'd been. He'd actually entered that terrifying dark before the Lady had pulled him away. It was a pity he couldn't remember much about her. He'd been so terrified, exhausted and in such agony that everything was a blur. But she'd made the pain go away. Then he'd slept.
So where was he? In her house? In the stars?
His surroundings were still and gray. An amazing stillness, an eerie grayness. The stillness had been a welcome change when he arrived: a haven after the nightmare ride through the mist. But now it felt uneasy. This stillness around him wasn't a peaceful stillness. It was the stillness of emptiness. The Lady wasn't there. No one was.
He began to panic. Where the heck was he?
Adam
â¦
mindspeak
â¦
safe?
Fractured sentences floated into his mind.
He was dreaming? Noâ¦He was hearing Holly mindspeak!
He replied, giddy with relief.
Holly
?
Holly
â¦
I can hear you. I'm safe
â¦
But I don't
know where I am. Everything's gray. The Lady rescued
me. She is beautiful and kind, like you said.
He waited a long time for Holly's reply. Again the message was indistinct, like a bad telephone line.
Lady?
â¦
Myrddin rescue
â¦
Don't
â¦
I can't hear you, Holly. I'm only getting a few words.
Tell Myrddin I'm okay. I'm with the Lady. But I don't
know where we are.
Not
â¦
Not
â¦Holly's voice cut off.
No more words came through but feelings did. Strong feelings. Holly was scared, distressed and angry. Scared and distressed he understood, but why was she angry?
Adam mulled over the last message.
Not
â¦
Not
â¦Not what? But everything was such an effort. Trying to mindspeak had wiped him out again.
He wished things would make sense.
Maybe Holly was mad because he was with the Lady, not her. That must be it! Well, tough luck! Win some, lose some.
Adam gave a tiny yawn and drifted into yet another doze.
Holly's eyes were filled with horror. “Did you hear?”
“Yes,” whispered Owen and Chantel. The same shock was mirrored in their faces.
“How could he mistake the Dark Being for the Lady?” ranted Holly. “How could he?”
“He said she was kind and beautiful.” Chantel shuddered.
“She is most beautiful,” rumbled Myrddin as he swept away the magic circle with his foot.
The children's eyes widened.
“The Dark can be as beautiful as the Light.”
The children were silent.
“Holly, you did well warning Adam,” said Myrddin.
“But he didn't understand. He thinks she's the Lady. What if he helps her?” Holly was shaking.
Myrddin touched Holly's shoulder. “It is a shock, but trust both in Adam and Old Magic. This has happened for a reason.”
Holly nodded and breathed deeply, allowing Myrddin's magical strength to flow through her.
“Time presses. I must join Manannan, Ava and Equus now. Rest assured I will share this new development with them, and we will find a way to rescue Adam. You have done your utmost to warn him. You must put it behind you, Holly, for now you have other tasks.”
Holly took several more steadying breaths and met Myrddin's eyes. “I'm fine. It was just a shock.”
Myrddin squeezed her shoulder gently and removed his hand. “Follow your heart and find Breesha's grave, Holly. Listen to the Earth Magic. Have faith that Adam will also listen to what's in his heart.”
He pointed with his staff to some well-concealed steps cut into the rock cliff behind them. “Go. These steps lead to the castle gate. Taking them will outwit the Shade.”
“Are you going to meet Ava and Equus?” Owen asked.
Myrddin nodded. “Of course. Do you wish to accompany me?”
Owen hesitated. “Yes and no. I want to help Ava and I want to rescue Adam, but I don't have those powers, and we're running out of time.”
“Go on, boy.”
“I've been thinking about the castle.”
“Yes?”
Holly swung around from examining the steep steps up the cliff. She looked eagerly at Owen.
“We're heading for a big bust-up with the Dark Being, aren't we?” Owen asked Myrddin.
Myrddin nodded.
“Then the castle is the best place for it. You said it was the most magical place on Gaia.”
“I did.”
“So I should explore it. Find places to hide and to fight. None of us knows the castle. Scoping it out would give us a better chance.”
“Ahh. The young warrior wishes to hone his skills. The confrontation with the Dark may not be a fight of arms, Owen.”
“I know, I know. But when we were with the dragon in the first adventure and with Zorianna in the Tor, it wasn't just magic that worked, it was us being human and doing things they didn't expect. If I explore the castle, I might be able to come up with some unexpected things that would help.”
Myrddin laughed. “You are correct, young warrior. Your tactics are sound. Go to the castle with Holly, and may you find many unexpected things.”
“Brilliant, Owen,” said Holly. “I'd love some company. These steps look pretty creepy in the fog.”
“What about me?” Chantel's voice was wistful.
Myrddin smiled. “You are not forgotten, Chantel. Come, it is time for you to call the Cabbyl Ushtey.”
Chantel's voice was a squeak. “Call who?”
“The Cabbyl Ushtey, the white horses you saw in the waves. They will appear at your request, for you are the Magic Child called by Equus. Use mindspeak, though there is no one around to see or overhear.”
“You are wrong, Myrddin. I hear.”
Myrddin swung around, his face full of joy. “Fenella, you remain! So few on Gaia remember Old Magic. I didn't dare hope.”
A woman in white hovered beside them. She was as transparent as a ghost. “I am always here, until there is no one left who remembers me. One human sees me still. His visits keep me from fading away into the mist.”
“Is that Mr. Cubbon? He was a Magic Child once,” said Chantel softly.
“That is his name. He is lonely. He comes to talk with me and the ravens. Now you see me, Myrddin, and I gain more strength.”
“Us too. We can see and speak to you,” Owen pointed out.
The woman laughed. “I grow stronger by the second.”
Though still flimsy, she did seem more substantial.
“Call not for the Cabbyl Ushtey. It is hard for them to transform and step on land. Their strength, like mine, is weak. So few see them.”
Chantel jabbed Owen. “Told ya,” she whispered.
He grinned and gave her a mock bow.
“They will be needed later, for I sense a great Darkness approaching,” continued Fenella. “The child should visit them in their own realm.” She drifted toward the water's edge. “Friends may request my magic.”
“Thank you, Fenella.” Myrddin bowed. “Make your request, Child.”
Chantel stepped before Fenella. She stood with her hands clasped behind her back, looking very young and very sincere.
“Erâ¦Please can you help me visit the Cabbâ¦Cabbyl Ushtey?”
She looked across at Myrddin to see if she had got the name right. He nodded and encouraged her with a wave of his hand.
“We will need their help, so I should talk to them.”
Fenella cupped her hand and called softly over the water.
“Manannan Beg Mac y Lair,
Mie goll magh as ny share goll stiagh,
Manannan Beg Mac y Leir,
Give safe journey out and a better journey home.”
A small round boat floated out of the mist and bobbed to their feet.
“Wow, a coracle!” said Owen. “One of the earliest boats ever made.” He ran over and grabbed, pulling it into the shallows. It was as light as a feather.
The boat was made of skins stretched tightly across a circular framework of split willow. A wooden paddle lay on the bottom.
“Fear not the Cabbyl Ushtey,” said Fenella. “They will honor you and gain strength from your visit. Tell them Fenella says neither the Mists of Time nor Manannan's cloak will hold the Dark One at bay, and that the Wise Ones have come to stand with Manannan.” She motioned Chantel to the boat.
“Fear not the coracle. It knows its way. Fear not the sea. It is the Cabbyl Ushteys' realm and part of the Sleeper's magic.”
“Can I show Chantel how the coracle works?” Without waiting for an answer, Owen hopped inside the tiny craft with one leg and pushed off from the beach with the other. He sat crosslegged on the bottom and wielded the paddle. “Wheee!” The boat spun around like a top.
“Owen,” thundered Myrddin, “show a little more respect.”
Owen grinned, but brought the coracle under control. He bobbed in and out of the mist, just beyond the breaking waves.
“Sorry,” he called. “But I've always wanted a coracle. I tried to make one when I was a little kid. It sank.”
“OWEN,” roared Myrddin.
Owen dug in the paddle and shot back to the beach on the crest of the next wave. He hopped out and held the boat steady for Chantel. “Did you get the idea? It's real easy?”
Chantel laughed and slapped his hand away from the side of the craft. “This is my magic. You find your own.”
Myrddin prodded her with his staff. “Step in, step in.”
Chantel scrambled inside. Ignoring the paddle, she knelt, clutching the rim of the tiny craft with her hands.
“Farewell. Let light and truth keep fear at bay as you enter the realm of the Cabbyl Ushtey.” Fenella made a graceful pushing motion with her hands.
The coracle swooshed out to sea with Chantel's upright body parting the mist, leaving it billowing and swirling behind her.
Holly sighed. “She looks awfully small. Will she be all right, Myrddin?”
“She'll be splendid,” said Myrddin softly as he watched the coracle disappear. “Chantel has a special magic, the magic of innocence.” He turned away from the waves. “As for you, Holly. Go to the castle and take that pesky brother with you.” He poked Owen in the small of his back. “Be gone, boy. It is time to devise irritations for the Dark Being, not for me.”
Suppressing grins, Holly and Owen scrambled up the flight of rocky stairs and disappeared in the fog.
“My thanks, Fenella. May you never fade,” said Myrddin with a bow. He stamped his staff on the ground and swirled his cloak.
“Manannan Beg Mac y Leir, I pray you a portal,” he shouted and vanished in a flash of light.
