It looks like you're using an Ad Blocker.
Please white-list or disable AboveTopSecret.com in your ad-blocking tool.
Thank you.
Some features of ATS will be disabled while you continue to use an ad-blocker.
Pisky's ATS Story
page: 9share:
I know exactly how you feel smilingsarah82. I don't know if I should really be admitting to this or not, but a few weeks back, I actually dreamt of
this baby faced figure sat at a keyboard feverishly tapping away on the keys, writing the next chapter in his story. I was trying to read what he was
typing over his shoulder, but couldn't quite make out the words.
ummmm..... thats quite sad isn't it.
ummmm..... thats quite sad isn't it.
How long do we have to wait for the next chaptr of Pisky's ATS Story its been to long and I need a good chuckle.Pisky if your there make a new
chapter.
yes i agree i would love to see pisky make a new addition.
Originally posted by SE7EN
How long do we have to wait for the next chaptr of Pisky's ATS Story its been to long and I need a good chuckle.Pisky if your there make a new chapter.
Fear not, for the Original Cornish Pixy is hard at work with the next chapters as we speak !
Chapter 22 - Hail and Farewell
It was raining again. The thin pervasive drizzle that seeped through everything to freeze the very bones. Pisky muttered abuse as he looked up at the lowering sky and huddled deeper into his pixy hood in a futile attempt to keep the rain out. Unfortunately his horse chose that very moment to shake his sodden head, the water droplets from his mane splashing the pixy in the face. Pisky cursed the horse who merely snickered in a condescending manner and continued plodding onwards along the muddly track.
Behind the ranting pixy, an equally drenched Asala sat upon her own steed, shivering in the cold and staring into the distance while beside her SmilingSarah sighed and shook her head.
"Any chance of a rest ?", came a voice from the back of the column, "We could do with making a fire and trying to dry out".
The pixy turned in his saddle and looked back to where KayEm was riding beside two of the newbies picked up at Butser.
"A fire in this fecking weather ?", muttered the pixy, "you must be kidding".
"The horses could do with a rest though", his wife said, leaving her position at the back of the group and cantering towards the pixy who had already started looking around for somewhere out of the rain. "What about there ?", KayEm asked, pointing towards the lee of a hill about half a mile way. "The trees should give the horses some cover and we can sit under those rocks until the worst of the rain is over".
"Seems fair enough", Pisky agreed and with a quick look around for undesirables of the Corporate variety, began to lead the way.
"I hate this. I wish we'd stayed in Butser !!!" The whining voice cut through the air like a knife. Pisky shook his head and sighed; "I wish you'd stayed there too you nauseating little git", he thought, glaring at the young boy crouched under the rock opposite. The woman sitting beside him looked across at Pisky apologetically before turning to her son in an attempt to make him see reason.
Stretching his aching bones, Pisky glanced from the woman to where LadyCool sat with a two year old baby on her lap. The child gurgled happily, obviously unpeturbed by the rain as LC bounced him up and down. "You'd make a wonderful mother", said Benjj, amused at the sight of the padawan playing with the giggling child. "I know", she replied, "I love babies ... as long as I can give them back afterwards".
Pisky grinned at the baby who waved his little arms in the air and shrieked in glee as Pillywiggin stalked past followed by Phoebe. The dog was desperately attempting to smell the kittens nether regions while Pillywiggin was just as determined to deny her that opportunity. LC shook her head, laughing. "Phoebe !", she said in a mock-serious manner, "Please ... not in front of the children". The hound pulled a hangdog face and wandered off for a pee.
"The baby's cute", said the pixy as KayEm sat beside him and started rubbing her frozen hands together, "But that kid's worse than Bart". He looked at where the boy and his mother were now in a heated argument and shook his head. "He's just wet and cold", KayEm explained as the boy leaped to his feet and stormed away.
"Aren't we all", said the pixy. "But at least that sodding rain's easing up".
KayEm looked up at the sky. The cloud cover was still almost complete, but far in the distance a faint glow of sunshine could be seen. Meanwhile, as the pixy had said, the rain was indeed easing up.
"Do you think we'll get to Ledbury tonight ?", Pantha asked as she stood and surveyed the landscape ahead.
"Doubt it", Pisky replied, "That rain slowed us down too much. Still, rather that than have a horse slip in the mud and go lame".
Pantha nodded her agreement. "What do you think of the newbies ?", she asked as Benjj arrived to join the conversation.
"Rhiannon is nice enough", began the pixy "and her baby's cute, but I don't think much of the kid - whats his name ?"
"Damien" anwered KayEm
"Now why doesn't that surprise me ?"
"What about the guy ?", KayEm asked, looking over to where a black-clad ex-praetorian stood rearranging his kit.
Pisky stood up and stretched his aching legs. "Hard to tell. Haven't had much chance to talk with him to be honest. He did his bit against the chups that time though. I'm willing to give him a chance".
Benjj nodded as did KayEm. Pantha would have done the same had she not been looking along the side of the hill to where it turned to the right and petered off. "Did you hear that ?", she asked.
"What ?" Benjj looked around warily.
"I thought it was someone shouting".
"I picked up something", said the pixy, "it sounded like ... there"
From the other side of the hill, racing as if all the demons of Hell were on his heels, came the boy Damien. His wet hair was plastered over his face and his glasses askew but otherwise he seemed unharmed. "Mom ... mom !!!!!", he yelled as he reached Rhiannon , struggling for breath as his mother took hold of his arms and sat him on a moss covered rock.
"There's a man", he said in between gulps of air, "a dead man ... over there". He gestured towards the hill, then turned away from his white faced mother and threw up in the grass.
He wasn't dead but he may as well have been. Pantha felt sick as she viewed the travesty of a human body that lay before her.
KayEm knelt beside the battered frame, forcing herself to stay and hold his smashed right hand in hers. Pisky and Benjj stood nearby wondering what kind of monster would do this to another human being.
"Corporate torturers", spat the pixy, "It's got to be. Either that or those Azraelite bastards".
From his clothes, what remained of them, he was a monk. A young man of about twenty whose face would have been considered handsome had it not been so badly smashed and torn. The skin of his arms and legs had been systematically peeled away leaving his musculature open to the elements, and his torso was so badly bruised that it was impossible to see a single inch of his original skin colour. Fortunately he was unconscious; Had he not been, the agonies would be unbearable.
KayEm looked up from the body and shook her head. Tears welled in her eyes and rolled down her face. She looked back down at his face and gasped. His eyes were open.
"Oh my god", KayEm whispered. The shattered digits of his hand squeezed her own soft fingers then relaxed. Pisky and Benjj moved closer, the stench of blood almost overpowering. The young monk moved his jaw. It must have been agony, but his strength of purpose was such that despite the overwhelming pain he was determined to speak. "I told them nothing", he said. "The charge is still mine".
Pisky was unable to reply. He still remembered the deathbed confession of the Roman Legate Augustus. Benjj licked his dry mouth and spoke in his stead; "Charge ?"
The monk lifted his mutilated left arm and dropped a small bloodstained item into Benjj's outstretched hand. It was a crucifix.
"She is with you ... the saint ... says I can trust you ... with the charge". Pisky looked to where the monk now pointed, but could see nothing. "Hallucinations", thought the pixy. "not much time left".
Benjj leaned forward. His lips close to the monks ravaged ear, "What is the charge ?", he asked.
"Brother Peter. Found out. after years", came the reply, "Need get it ... Rabbi Goldblum ... Jerusalem"
"A Rabbi ?" asked Pisky incredulously. "Not a Catholic priest ?"
Benjj held up his hand to halt the pixy's questioning. His face hardened as he spoke rapidly to the dying man before him.
"What is the charge ?" Benjj asked, "And why does the Rabbi need it ?"
"Name", murmured the monk, "On cross. Rabbi ... translate ... I don't know ... Brother Peter ... knew ... Rabbi ... must be told".
"What name ???" The monk was sinking fast.
"Anti ..." he took a final breath.
"Antichrist".
"I have to go to Jerusalem"
"What ???" Pantha was incredulous. "Why ?"
"To get this to the Rabbi" Benjj held up the now cleaned crucifix, displaying the carved incription at the back and the compass symbol above.
"That's the Freemason symbol isn't it ?" asked LC as she peered at the back of the crucifix; "I thought they were involved with the NWO"
Benjj sighed. He had been dreading this moment even though he knew that his collegues were as open minded as it was possible to be.
"Yes", he began, "Some lodges are in cahoots with the NWO. Just as some members of the army, some members of the police force and some members of parliament. But not all".
Pantha moved closer to give him her strength. Benjj smiled and nodded his thanks.
"The lodge of which I am ... was ... a member ... was one which refused to kowtow to the demands of the Corporates. For that, the members were systematically hunted down and either killed or put in one of the concentration camps". He took a deep breath. "Some, myself included, managed to escape".
Pisky nodded his understanding. Benjj continued. "In late 2004, I went to the Middle East ostensibly for business purposes. That was true - up to a point. I was also there to make contact with Rabbi Goldblum, a Jewish scholar who is vehemently anti-New World Order. He is also absolutely sure that the New Testament book of Revelation is prophetic, that the code within the book can be broken and that what we are seeing now is the beginning of the Apocalypse. He has spent years fighting against the New World Order in all its forms and has searched the world for evidence as to the major players in the game. If this 'Brother Peter' is so sure that he knows the name of the Antichrist then I have to get this information to the Rabbi. I don't know what he will do, I don't know if anything can be done. I don't know if I believe all this myself but if people are willing to give their lives for this information, then the least I can do is take up the charge myself".
"But why you ?", asked Pantha
"Because I've been to Jerusalem before. I know the Rabbi. He trusts me. And its a matter of honour. A Freemason sent this charge - possibly Brother Peter himself - As a mason, it is my duty to see his wishes fulfilled".
Pisky took the crucifix from Benjj hand and looked carefully at it. "I have no idea what language this is", he said, turning the cross sideways. "Aramaic ?"
"Unlikely", Benjj replied, "It would be too easy for the Corporates to decipher. It would have to be a langage so rare that few people would even recognise it as being anything other than a few scribbles".
"Can I copy it?", asked Erisian. "Maybe I'll be able to get the computer to decipher it"
"You can try", Benjj said, handing her the crucifix. "I'll get a few hours kip then be off in the morning. It's going to be a long journey my friends".
Early next morning, as the first rays of the sun shone on the tops of the nearby trees, Benjj said farewell to his companions and rode towards the rising sun. It was, as he said, going to be a long journey and one fraught with danger but he had taken up the charge and his honour would not allow him to put it down until it was completed.
Pisky lifted his hand in farewel as did KayEm. Pillywiggin sat on the pixy's shoulder and lifted one kittenish paw. As Benjj turned to take one final glimpse of his friends, he thought he saw tears glistening in Pantha's eyes, but maybe it was just the sun.
Two days later the companions, tired, hungry and wet, rode gratefully over the drawbridge of Stokesay. Tobias's welcoming grin shone like the stars and Fingal, bottle of Best Pixyland in hand, waved happily as he strode over from St Philomena's. Pisky dropped from his horse, handing the reins to one of the ostlers before helping KayEm and Rhiannon from their own mounts. LadyCool, Sarah and Asala stood stretching their aching legs as they looked around the castle about which they had heard so much. Pantha smiled as she saw the slight form of Tamsin running from the great hall, to hug her tightly as if she was her own mother, while Angover smiled his knowing smile and put down the horseshoe he was filing. Rhiannon stood with her mouth open in delight and even Damien was spellbound, while the little baby giggled and waved his arms.
A muffled explosion met their ears, followed by a gout of flame and smoke poured from one of the casement windows of the South Tower followed by the appearance of a soot covered figure with a rather embarrased grin. "That's Loki", Pantha explained as the pyromaniac strode towards them.
Pisky looked around the castle and took a deep breath of cold clean air. Fingal thrust a bottle of Best Pixyland into his hands and he took a long draught of the Cornish cider before passing it to KayEm.
It was good to be back.
It was raining again. The thin pervasive drizzle that seeped through everything to freeze the very bones. Pisky muttered abuse as he looked up at the lowering sky and huddled deeper into his pixy hood in a futile attempt to keep the rain out. Unfortunately his horse chose that very moment to shake his sodden head, the water droplets from his mane splashing the pixy in the face. Pisky cursed the horse who merely snickered in a condescending manner and continued plodding onwards along the muddly track.
Behind the ranting pixy, an equally drenched Asala sat upon her own steed, shivering in the cold and staring into the distance while beside her SmilingSarah sighed and shook her head.
"Any chance of a rest ?", came a voice from the back of the column, "We could do with making a fire and trying to dry out".
The pixy turned in his saddle and looked back to where KayEm was riding beside two of the newbies picked up at Butser.
"A fire in this fecking weather ?", muttered the pixy, "you must be kidding".
"The horses could do with a rest though", his wife said, leaving her position at the back of the group and cantering towards the pixy who had already started looking around for somewhere out of the rain. "What about there ?", KayEm asked, pointing towards the lee of a hill about half a mile way. "The trees should give the horses some cover and we can sit under those rocks until the worst of the rain is over".
"Seems fair enough", Pisky agreed and with a quick look around for undesirables of the Corporate variety, began to lead the way.
"I hate this. I wish we'd stayed in Butser !!!" The whining voice cut through the air like a knife. Pisky shook his head and sighed; "I wish you'd stayed there too you nauseating little git", he thought, glaring at the young boy crouched under the rock opposite. The woman sitting beside him looked across at Pisky apologetically before turning to her son in an attempt to make him see reason.
Stretching his aching bones, Pisky glanced from the woman to where LadyCool sat with a two year old baby on her lap. The child gurgled happily, obviously unpeturbed by the rain as LC bounced him up and down. "You'd make a wonderful mother", said Benjj, amused at the sight of the padawan playing with the giggling child. "I know", she replied, "I love babies ... as long as I can give them back afterwards".
Pisky grinned at the baby who waved his little arms in the air and shrieked in glee as Pillywiggin stalked past followed by Phoebe. The dog was desperately attempting to smell the kittens nether regions while Pillywiggin was just as determined to deny her that opportunity. LC shook her head, laughing. "Phoebe !", she said in a mock-serious manner, "Please ... not in front of the children". The hound pulled a hangdog face and wandered off for a pee.
"The baby's cute", said the pixy as KayEm sat beside him and started rubbing her frozen hands together, "But that kid's worse than Bart". He looked at where the boy and his mother were now in a heated argument and shook his head. "He's just wet and cold", KayEm explained as the boy leaped to his feet and stormed away.
"Aren't we all", said the pixy. "But at least that sodding rain's easing up".
KayEm looked up at the sky. The cloud cover was still almost complete, but far in the distance a faint glow of sunshine could be seen. Meanwhile, as the pixy had said, the rain was indeed easing up.
"Do you think we'll get to Ledbury tonight ?", Pantha asked as she stood and surveyed the landscape ahead.
"Doubt it", Pisky replied, "That rain slowed us down too much. Still, rather that than have a horse slip in the mud and go lame".
Pantha nodded her agreement. "What do you think of the newbies ?", she asked as Benjj arrived to join the conversation.
"Rhiannon is nice enough", began the pixy "and her baby's cute, but I don't think much of the kid - whats his name ?"
"Damien" anwered KayEm
"Now why doesn't that surprise me ?"
"What about the guy ?", KayEm asked, looking over to where a black-clad ex-praetorian stood rearranging his kit.
Pisky stood up and stretched his aching legs. "Hard to tell. Haven't had much chance to talk with him to be honest. He did his bit against the chups that time though. I'm willing to give him a chance".
Benjj nodded as did KayEm. Pantha would have done the same had she not been looking along the side of the hill to where it turned to the right and petered off. "Did you hear that ?", she asked.
"What ?" Benjj looked around warily.
"I thought it was someone shouting".
"I picked up something", said the pixy, "it sounded like ... there"
From the other side of the hill, racing as if all the demons of Hell were on his heels, came the boy Damien. His wet hair was plastered over his face and his glasses askew but otherwise he seemed unharmed. "Mom ... mom !!!!!", he yelled as he reached Rhiannon , struggling for breath as his mother took hold of his arms and sat him on a moss covered rock.
"There's a man", he said in between gulps of air, "a dead man ... over there". He gestured towards the hill, then turned away from his white faced mother and threw up in the grass.
He wasn't dead but he may as well have been. Pantha felt sick as she viewed the travesty of a human body that lay before her.
KayEm knelt beside the battered frame, forcing herself to stay and hold his smashed right hand in hers. Pisky and Benjj stood nearby wondering what kind of monster would do this to another human being.
"Corporate torturers", spat the pixy, "It's got to be. Either that or those Azraelite bastards".
From his clothes, what remained of them, he was a monk. A young man of about twenty whose face would have been considered handsome had it not been so badly smashed and torn. The skin of his arms and legs had been systematically peeled away leaving his musculature open to the elements, and his torso was so badly bruised that it was impossible to see a single inch of his original skin colour. Fortunately he was unconscious; Had he not been, the agonies would be unbearable.
KayEm looked up from the body and shook her head. Tears welled in her eyes and rolled down her face. She looked back down at his face and gasped. His eyes were open.
"Oh my god", KayEm whispered. The shattered digits of his hand squeezed her own soft fingers then relaxed. Pisky and Benjj moved closer, the stench of blood almost overpowering. The young monk moved his jaw. It must have been agony, but his strength of purpose was such that despite the overwhelming pain he was determined to speak. "I told them nothing", he said. "The charge is still mine".
Pisky was unable to reply. He still remembered the deathbed confession of the Roman Legate Augustus. Benjj licked his dry mouth and spoke in his stead; "Charge ?"
The monk lifted his mutilated left arm and dropped a small bloodstained item into Benjj's outstretched hand. It was a crucifix.
"She is with you ... the saint ... says I can trust you ... with the charge". Pisky looked to where the monk now pointed, but could see nothing. "Hallucinations", thought the pixy. "not much time left".
Benjj leaned forward. His lips close to the monks ravaged ear, "What is the charge ?", he asked.
"Brother Peter. Found out. after years", came the reply, "Need get it ... Rabbi Goldblum ... Jerusalem"
"A Rabbi ?" asked Pisky incredulously. "Not a Catholic priest ?"
Benjj held up his hand to halt the pixy's questioning. His face hardened as he spoke rapidly to the dying man before him.
"What is the charge ?" Benjj asked, "And why does the Rabbi need it ?"
"Name", murmured the monk, "On cross. Rabbi ... translate ... I don't know ... Brother Peter ... knew ... Rabbi ... must be told".
"What name ???" The monk was sinking fast.
"Anti ..." he took a final breath.
"Antichrist".
"I have to go to Jerusalem"
"What ???" Pantha was incredulous. "Why ?"
"To get this to the Rabbi" Benjj held up the now cleaned crucifix, displaying the carved incription at the back and the compass symbol above.
"That's the Freemason symbol isn't it ?" asked LC as she peered at the back of the crucifix; "I thought they were involved with the NWO"
Benjj sighed. He had been dreading this moment even though he knew that his collegues were as open minded as it was possible to be.
"Yes", he began, "Some lodges are in cahoots with the NWO. Just as some members of the army, some members of the police force and some members of parliament. But not all".
Pantha moved closer to give him her strength. Benjj smiled and nodded his thanks.
"The lodge of which I am ... was ... a member ... was one which refused to kowtow to the demands of the Corporates. For that, the members were systematically hunted down and either killed or put in one of the concentration camps". He took a deep breath. "Some, myself included, managed to escape".
Pisky nodded his understanding. Benjj continued. "In late 2004, I went to the Middle East ostensibly for business purposes. That was true - up to a point. I was also there to make contact with Rabbi Goldblum, a Jewish scholar who is vehemently anti-New World Order. He is also absolutely sure that the New Testament book of Revelation is prophetic, that the code within the book can be broken and that what we are seeing now is the beginning of the Apocalypse. He has spent years fighting against the New World Order in all its forms and has searched the world for evidence as to the major players in the game. If this 'Brother Peter' is so sure that he knows the name of the Antichrist then I have to get this information to the Rabbi. I don't know what he will do, I don't know if anything can be done. I don't know if I believe all this myself but if people are willing to give their lives for this information, then the least I can do is take up the charge myself".
"But why you ?", asked Pantha
"Because I've been to Jerusalem before. I know the Rabbi. He trusts me. And its a matter of honour. A Freemason sent this charge - possibly Brother Peter himself - As a mason, it is my duty to see his wishes fulfilled".
Pisky took the crucifix from Benjj hand and looked carefully at it. "I have no idea what language this is", he said, turning the cross sideways. "Aramaic ?"
"Unlikely", Benjj replied, "It would be too easy for the Corporates to decipher. It would have to be a langage so rare that few people would even recognise it as being anything other than a few scribbles".
"Can I copy it?", asked Erisian. "Maybe I'll be able to get the computer to decipher it"
"You can try", Benjj said, handing her the crucifix. "I'll get a few hours kip then be off in the morning. It's going to be a long journey my friends".
Early next morning, as the first rays of the sun shone on the tops of the nearby trees, Benjj said farewell to his companions and rode towards the rising sun. It was, as he said, going to be a long journey and one fraught with danger but he had taken up the charge and his honour would not allow him to put it down until it was completed.
Pisky lifted his hand in farewel as did KayEm. Pillywiggin sat on the pixy's shoulder and lifted one kittenish paw. As Benjj turned to take one final glimpse of his friends, he thought he saw tears glistening in Pantha's eyes, but maybe it was just the sun.
Two days later the companions, tired, hungry and wet, rode gratefully over the drawbridge of Stokesay. Tobias's welcoming grin shone like the stars and Fingal, bottle of Best Pixyland in hand, waved happily as he strode over from St Philomena's. Pisky dropped from his horse, handing the reins to one of the ostlers before helping KayEm and Rhiannon from their own mounts. LadyCool, Sarah and Asala stood stretching their aching legs as they looked around the castle about which they had heard so much. Pantha smiled as she saw the slight form of Tamsin running from the great hall, to hug her tightly as if she was her own mother, while Angover smiled his knowing smile and put down the horseshoe he was filing. Rhiannon stood with her mouth open in delight and even Damien was spellbound, while the little baby giggled and waved his arms.
A muffled explosion met their ears, followed by a gout of flame and smoke poured from one of the casement windows of the South Tower followed by the appearance of a soot covered figure with a rather embarrased grin. "That's Loki", Pantha explained as the pyromaniac strode towards them.
Pisky looked around the castle and took a deep breath of cold clean air. Fingal thrust a bottle of Best Pixyland into his hands and he took a long draught of the Cornish cider before passing it to KayEm.
It was good to be back.
ahhh farwell benjj sniff sniff
good to see the return of pisky's ATS story
wow ! that is exactly what I saw in my dream, see how you can't quite make out the words on the screen.
good to see the return of pisky's ATS story
Originally posted by Pisky
Fear not, for the Original Cornish Pixy is hard at work with the next chapters as we speak !
wow ! that is exactly what I saw in my dream, see how you can't quite make out the words on the screen.
Bye benjj nice story pisky keep up with the good work amigo looking forward to the next chapter.
amazing!! awesome job pisky, i am soooo looking forward to the next chapter! thank you soo much for continuing! its really a pleasure to read,
expecially after a hard day, and i need cheering up!
-Sarah
-Sarah
Chapter 23 - Drake's Discovery
Pisky sat in the great hall, a Cornish pasty in his hand and the obligatory bottle of 'Best Pixyland' sitting on the table before him. The cold winter sunlight shone through the large windows, making the cider shine like liquid gold as the pixy ate his breakfast. Beside him, Tobias was rifling through a sheaf of paper - computer prints delivered to him every morning courtesy of Erisian. Tobias liked to know what was going on in the wide corporate-controlled world, his maxim being 'Know thine enemy'. And what an enemy it was - since the corporate takeover and the release of the DNA666 plague, over one third of the population of the world had been killed and thousands imprisoned in concentration camps. Meanwhile, most of the rest were herded into ghettos and forced to work their fingers to the bone for the good of the 'world'. Of course that world was dominated by the Corporations, and they were controlled by a shadowy organisation whose existance was known only to a few outsiders.
Some said they were an offshoot of the Bavarian Illuminati, others that they were reptilian creatures from other worlds who had manipulated humanity since ancient times. Tobias didn't care who or what they were - Bavarian or Extra-terrestrial it was all the same to him - it was what they did that concerned him. One world Government, one world currency, one world religion - the ultimate goals of the shadowy figures at the top of the pyramid - and it was that dark organisation that Tobias considered his most dangerous enemy.
"Anything interesting ?", Pisky asked as he topped up Tobias' glass of 'Best Pixyland'.
"Not much", Tobias muttered absently. "One of Monsanto's warehouses was torched yesterday and a couple of people were jailed for breaching curfew in Birmingham", he picked up his glass and took a sip. "Verichip's new advert comes out in a couple of days trying to con people that 'its cool to be chipped'. Its a load of bollocks but the sheep will fall for it no doubt".
Pisky nodded in agreement, a look of resignation on his face. The pixy had already made his opinions on the subject quite obvious - anyone attempting to implant him with a microchip would find themselves walking very delicately back to their office with said chip deeply embedded somewhere the sun rarely reaches.
"Whats that you're talking about then ?" Fingal's Irish lilt echoed around the massive mediaeval hall as he entered from the courtyard. "And why weren't you heathen buggers at mass again ?"
Tobias looked up at the slight, grey haired priest and grinned. "We were having our own communion", he said, raising his glass to Fingal. The old priest shook his head with a smile on his face and took the chair opposite.
"So, what's up?" he asked, reaching for a glass which he promptly filled with cider.
"It's cool to chipped", Tobias said, handing a piece of computer paper to Fingal. The priest read it, dropped it to the table and scowled. "That's the Mark of the Beast if anything is", he said angrily. "Some people will accept it because it will help the police find missing kids. Others will fall for this 'Cool' malarkey, but a lot of them will be against it at the beginning. Then they'll say that having your financial data on a chip linked to some mainframe will help the fight against fraud. After all, you can lose your credit cards but you can't lose your hand". Fingal took a swig of cider. "Then they'll do away with cash altogether and force people to have the chip or they won't be able to buy or sell. Bastards".
Pisky nodded his agreement and took a drink.
"How's Erisian getting on translating that inscription from the crucifix ?" the old priest asked, referring to the cross that Benjj had volunteered to take to Jerusalem some two months previously. Prior to his departure, Erisian had copied the inscription with the hope of translating it using the computers in Stokesay.
"Bugger all so far", Pisky replied, "Its in no known language - at least not one that is anywhere on the net. Of course a lot of the net servers have been taken down or are now in corporate hands but even so she managed to hack into the British Museum site a few days ago. And guess what ? - even they don't have anything remotely resembling the inscription on the crucifix".
"Lets hope this Rabbi whatshisname can understand it then". Fingal finished his drink and poured another just as Angover appeared at the doorway. The blacksmith and his apprentice had been inside the bell tower of St. Philomena's helping with the finishing touches and removing the ancient bell which would be placed in storage to await a kinder world. Fingal had been saddened when Tobias had refused his request to call the faithful to mass by the ringing of the bell, but understood the reasoning behind such a denial. The sound would have easily travelled many miles and the risk of it being heard by unfriendly ears was too great to allow the priest even this small allowance. It was decided therefore to remove the bell. This would also take temptation from the children of the settlement, some of which had already been caught creeping into the church to play in the darkened recesses of the old building.
"Father", said Angover. He always called the old priest either 'Father' or 'Father Fingal' in respect for his calling; "Coleman found something in the tower".
Fingal placed his drink onto the table and turned to face the blacksmith; "And what would that be ?", he asked.
"Some kind of hollow space in the wall", came the reply; "The clumsy sod knocked into it when we were shifting the bell. We couldn't do anything right then or we'd have dropped the buggering thing right through the floor but as soon as we got it into the hoist and down to ground level, we had a look. There's definitely something there. Coleman found a little gap in the plaster and reckons its some kind of hidden room - he had his knife out and was about to get it open when I thought it was best to tell you first".
Fingal nodded and stood, following the blacksmith to the door; "Would any of you fine gentlemen care to accompany us ?", he said, turning to where Tobias and Pisky still sat. Tobias declined the offer, waving the papers towards the priest with a look of resignation. Pisky shrugged his shoulders, drained his cup and stood to follow.
The top of the bell tower seemed larger that it had previously, Fingal thought as he clambered up the ladder and through the trapdoor. Of course that was because the old bell was no longer taking up most of the space. A hole in the middle of the floor showed where Angover and Coleman had removed the floorboards in order to winch the bell down to the floor.
Fingal looked down at the hole in the floorboards, crossed himself and edged slowly to the other side of the floor to where the apprentice blacksmith crouched.
Coleman was about fifteen years old, thin with long dark hair and a pointed nose which turned upwards. He had been one of Arthur's people, and in fact it was the old Druid who gave him his name - Coleman Gray, named after a character in an old Cornish faerytale. Over time he had shown himself an able worker, eventually catching the eye of Angover, who took him as his apprentice. "After all", the blacksmith had said after a night on 'Best Pixyland', "Oi won't be here for ever".
"Let's see what you have there then", Fingal said, crouching beside the apprentice as Pisky joined them. Angover stood beside the pixy and watched with unveiled interest. Coleman leaned down, knife in hand and slipped the blade into an almost invisible crack in the plaster. He grinned at the old priest and twisted the knife. With a slight click, more cracks appeared in the plaster denoting a rectangular shape the length and height of a shoebox. Coleman put more pressure on the knife and with a snapping noise the plaster fell away, revealing a small dark hole cut into the underlying brickwork.
"See anything ?", Angover asked as Coleman bent to peer into the hole. The apprentice leaned closer, his head almost touching the surrounding plaster then put his spindly hand into the hole, a look of concentration on his face. "Looks like some kind of handle", he replied, leaning back and pulling at whatever was buried deep inside the brickwork. Finally, accompanied by a rather loud scraping noise, a small wooden box came into view. It was jammed tightly into its brick sarcophagus and it took all of Coleman's strength to draw it completely free.
Once released it was quite light in itself and Coleman was able to hold it in one hand. It was oak, sturdily made and completely undecorated, with the only markings being the scratches it received when being removed from its previous home. There was a small gilt handle on one of the longer sides, but it too was plain. There was no locking mechanism, the lid being made to fit snugly onto the top of the box itself. Coleman blew the brickdust from the box and handed it to Fingal who held it tightly as he began walking towards the trapdoor. The priest had spent enough time squatting precariously on the edge of the hole in the floorboards and desired a pint of 'Best Pixyland' before the box was opened. Pisky concurred and, followed by Angover and his excited apprentice, moved after the priest towards the ladder.
Pisky stood beside one of the outside tables, a piece of vellum in his hand. The parchment was not as old as Stokesay itself, but was old enough to require careful handling. Beside the pixy stood Fingal, the now empty box on the table before him accompanied by a small leather bag and piece of bone bearing a strange incription. The pixy had recognised the lettering as being runes, specifically the Elder Futhark - an ancient Germanic form of writing - but had been unable to translate the Norse language the message had been written in. Fortunately it appeared that someone had already taken the trouble to do so, and it was the story of that translation that Pisky now held in his hands. He quickly scanned the writing, the words written so many years ago by a man who is now a legend. A man who roved the world in voyages of discovery. A man who fought his Queen's enemies both home and abroad. A man whose honour was impeccable. Pisky held the parchment, cleared his throat and began to read.
"Synce yt behooves mee to leav accounte of mye resent discoveries for those who may followe, ande knowing as I do the demeanour of thoes seekyng thys tresure, I am playcing yt ande mye wordse yn a holy place knowne onlye to myeself and thowse I truste. Wen yt comese tyme, ye runes wil speake but wen thatte is, ownly thee Lorde knowes."
Pisky read slowly and succinctly, translating the Shakepearean language into contemporary speech as he went along. It told the story of the box and its contents, of an ancient smith and seven swords, while everyone crowded around in expectant anticipation.
"The Spanish were defeated, and being so trounced can cause little trouble for merry England now. With my Queen's blessing I chose to return to my lands and seek out the source of a legend, one that since my first learning of it as a boy, has held me captive for many a night. I include it herein."
Wayland was the son of the great God-Giant, Wade, King of the Finns. As a child his father sent him to be apprenticed to the greatest of master metalworkers, the dwarves of the Icelandic Mountains. Wayland learnt quickly and, as he grew, he began to outshine even his tutors. Before long he was unable to keep up with the demand for his wares. Kings and princes vied to possess more and more of his handiwork, and envy was rife. Covetous eyes pored over every newly worked item that emerged from Wayland�s forge, but the smith was not interested in the squabbles of mortals. He only wished to be left in peace to get on with his work. King Niduth of Sweden, however, had other ideas. He was consumed with envy every time anyone managed to purchase some of Wayland�s merchandise before him. He decided that Wayland�s great works were fit for no-one outside his family.
So he captured the smith and hamstrung him, making sure that he could never escape and forbidding anyone to visit him. But the wily Wayland made contact with his brother, Egil who designed for him a pair of wings with which he could make his escape. The king's greedy sons defied their father and entered Wayland's cave determined to take for themselves the best of the smith's work, but Wayland was prepared and slew the princes, removing their heads and turning their skulls into gold plated goblets which he sent to the king.
Collecting his wings, Wayland flew far and wide, eventually coming to rest across the North Sea in Britain. He discovered an ancient chambered tomb which he made his home. It was here that he was visited by Merlin himself, who had seen in a vision a dark time when the forces of evil held sway. Merlin commissioned Wayland to create seven swords, each of which would hold within a powerful magick. They would be named Cymru, Erin, Kernow, Caledonia, Mannin, Vectis and the greatest of them all would be Excalibur.
And when the swords were ready, Merlin and Wayland prepared strong magikal spells to keep them in safety until they were needed, for Merlin knew that he would be long gone by that time and Wayland could not see his future. But while the rituals were being performed, two vile entities - followers of evil - stole for their masters the sword 'Mannin' and the sword 'Vectis' and they were never heard of again. And when the place of safety was made, Wayland placed five swords inside and locked it with runic chants. And Excalibur was given to Merlin who gave it to King Arthur who wielded it until his death whereupon it was cast into the lake and returned to Wayland who locked it with the others.
And in time he made runestaves that would point the way to the swords, but only for those destined to be swordbearers.
"The search was long, and full of wrong turns leading me eventually to the City of York where as luck would have it, I met with an old man whose ancestors settled in that fair city during the time of the Danelaw. With his aid, I obtained my goal, but not without catching the eye of a dark coven who sought to deprive me of my treasure and my very life.
I took flight to Stokesay, where an old friend ran the manor. There, accompanied by old Amundson and de Ludlow, my friend, I cast the runes. Six times I cast them as instructed by Wayland himself, whose instructions I translated from the bone runewand. Six times - five times for the swords, the last for the place of their repose. But the runes said nothing. The swords were not for me, nor for my companions. I was hoping to obtain them and with them vanquish the two swords in the hands of darkness, but it was not to be so.
With a heavy heart, Amundson returned to York while I stayed for a while enjoying de Ludlow's company. Then one day a group of hooded riders visited the manor house. They asked for me but de Ludlow, fearing for my life, denied that I was here. The riders left but I knew then that the runes must be hidden and I must leave.
Once I have completed this missive, I plan to return to my first love - the sea. The coven still seeks my death and they are strong indeed, although not so strong as to have been able to obtain for themselves the swords. For those coming later, beware the coven, those who revere death, for they desire the treasure and will do all in their power to gain it."
Pisky picked up his glass of cider and took a sip. Then, taking a deep breath he completed the rendition.
"Ande nowe I leave ye with but one reequeste, and thatt is that thou who followe mee do as I did. caste ye runes and followe theyr advise. Yf they speake notte, as theye didst notte for mee, reeplayce the box into the churche and thynk no more of yt. For yf they speake notte, then they are notte for ye. Yf they speake, thenne maye thee Lorde blesse ye and may Britain bee gratefulle".
It was signed Francis Drake
"Feck me !", muttered Loki, "Francis Drake ?"
Pisky replaced the parchment into the little box and nodded his head; "looks like it", he replied.
Everyone looked at the small leather bag which until now had not been opened. "Tobias ?", Pisky asked, "Do we caste ye runes and followe theyr advise ?" The pixy grinned.
"May as well", Tobias said, reaching for the bag and untying the leather thong at the top. "Here", he said to Rhiannon who stood close by. "You do it".
"Me ???", the woman asked with a shocked look on her face.
"Why not ?"
"Wow !" She exclaimed. "Right now ?"
Tobias nodded.
Taking a deep breath, Rhiannon leaned over the table, released the top and tipped the runes into her hand. They were small carved pieces of wood from a grove of tree that no longer existed. Pisky noticed that there were more than the normal twenty four runes of the Elder Futhark.
"OK", Rhiannon said breathlessly, "Here goes !", and with that, she cast the runes over the table.
The runestaves hit the table and spun around. Over and over they bounced as if they were organising themselves in sequence - as if they had lives of their own or were being placed in position by an invisible hand. Eventually they stopped and as if the power manipulating them had been roughly ripped away, lay flat on the table.
Most of the staves were face down displaying no runic symbols, however the ones that did have visible symbols lay in such a manner as to make the message obvious to all.
Pisky looked at the staves, his rusty knowledge of runic symbols quite adequate for the task.
"KayEm", he said "Cymru"
"What ?", asked KayEm, who had been standing behind Pisky chatting to Sarah and LadyCool.
"Your name just came up with the name of the sword Cymru", Pisky explained to his bemused wife.
"Looks like its true then", Loki exclaimed, "What Drake said about the runestaves."
"Not necessarily", Asala said as she leaned over and watched Rhiannon pick up the runestaves for the next casting, "If there's one thing I learned from ATS it was to be skeptical. It could be true. Given the odds, it probably is, but there's only been one casting so far - lets see what happens next".
Rhiannon held the runes in her hand and at a signal from Tobias, let them drop.
Once again they danced around, placing themselves in order. Once again they seemed controlled by an outside force and once again they displayed a message.
"Tobias - Excalibur", the pixy translated.
Tobias rested his hand on the hilt of the broadsword hanging from his thick belt. The replica of Excalibur that Arthur had bequeathed to him just before his death. "Well old man", he said addressing the druid's spirit, "The true Excalibur. If anyone deserved it, it was you. I hope I'll do you proud".
"You have so far", said Fingal, placing a hand on Tobias' shoulder. The soldier smiled.
Rhiannon cast the runes yet again. Asala was no longer skeptical and watched with baited breath as the staves organised themselves into the relevant message.
"Fingal - Erin" Pisky grinned at the old priest.
"Whale oil beef hooked !", Fingal exclaimed. "That's something I never expected. And to be honest, if it hadn't been for Drake's explanation, I'd have turned the thing down as heathenish". He lifted his ever-present bottle and drank a toast to Drake and Wayland.
The runes were cast once more. They skittered around, flipped and spun and eventually told their message.
"Pisky", said the pixy, grinning, "Kernow"
"Now why doesn't that surprise me ?", asked LadyCool, "You are the original Cornish pixy after all"
Sarah was perplexed. "What's that mean ?", she asked LC. Being a New Yorker she was unaware of the nuances of ancient British languages.
"The word 'Kernow' is in the Cornish language", LC explained as she watched Rhiannon collect the runes again, "It means Cornwall"
"Oh", said Sarah, "thanks". And she turned to watch the next casting.
"Sarah - Caledonia".
Sarah's eyes widened and blinked her eyes in shock. "Me ?", she exclaimed, "Why me ? I'm not even British" She turned towards where Tobias and Pisky stood grinning. "Don't ask me", said the pixy, "Obviously Wayland knows something we don't - and anyway, KayEm's not British either. Maybe its something to do with your ancestors".
"Cool", said Sarah.
"Last one", said Tobias, motioning to Rhiannon to cast the runes one final time. This time the message would tell where the swords were to be found. The woman took a deep breath and scattered the runes. They hit the table and began their magickal dance. Suddenly a small grey shape flew out of the nearby window, landed on the table and shot away. The kitten was followed almost instantly by Phoebe who, not as dextrous as Pillywiggin, slammed onto the table, slipped and knocked the runes onto the grass below. With LC yelling unladylike comments behind them, the cat and dog rushed through the gatehouse to disappear into the long grass at the other side of the moat.
Pisky bent down, hoping that the message would be visible despite the bad treatment the runes had received. He was not to be disappointed.
"Wayland's Smithy", he said. "Obvious really".
"Where ?" KayEm bent down and began picking up the runes.
"An ancient burial mound near Oxford", the pixy explained. "Close to the Uffington white horse. It's been known as 'Waylands Smithy for hundreds of years. I wonder why Drake didn't work it out?"
"Maybe only the ones destined for the swords are able to claim them", Asala suggested as KayEm replaced the staves into the old leather pouch. "Remember, Waylands Smithy has been visited by thousands of people over the years and as far as I know, there has been no mention of anyone finding any swords".
"Seems fair enough", the pixy replied, "Unless the swords have been found but the finders have kept things quiet".
Asala thought for a while, leaning against the table and lighting a cigarette. "Not necessarily", she said eventually, "Drake said that two swords are 'in the hands of darkness'. I bet that if we had cast the runes another twice, we would have just got garbled crap. The runes don't recognise those two swords anymore. If any others had been found, surely the runes wouldn't have recognised them either".
Pisky nodded, confirming Asala's logic. Asala merely grinned and strode off to prepare lunch.
The rest of the day was spent dscussing exactly what to do next. Obviously there was more to this than met the eye, especially with the strange actions of the runestaves. As for the rest of the story - the truth or otherwise of that could only be proved by actually going to the place mentioned in the last casting. KayEm and Sarah were both eager to leave immediately in search of the fabled swords, but fortunately more sober minds prevailed. Pisky arranged the horses and equipment necessary for the trip to darkest Oxfordshire, while Erisian furnished Tobias with up to date maps of the area. These maps included the positions of corporate and Azraelite bases which the adventurers preferred to avoid. Loki supplied ammunition for the firearms while Asala rummaged through the food supply and dug out rations enough to last the journey.
Late that evening the contigent sat in the main hall, drinking and finalising their plans. Since Tobias would be absent for the duration of the trip, Pantha would be in nominal control of Stokesay. LC was seconded to aid Erisian with her monitoring of corporate wavelengths and internet transmissions, which suited both of them after the debacle of Butser. Loki was still working on a defence system which of course included booby-traps and explosives, and Asala had found her niche as Stokesay's chef - the cooking area being known playfully as 'Asala's Kitchen'.
Earlier in the day, Tamsin had asked Tobias if she could join the travellers but that idea had been vetoed by Angover who was furious that his daughter had been found playing with a ouija board. A couple of days earlier, LadyCool had came across Tamsin and Damien fooling around with a handmade board and, realising the dangers of such things, took the board from them and threw it into Angover's furnace. That would have been the end of it, had it not been for Damien's constant whining about LC's action - whining which eventually came to the ears of Angover. It was difficult for the blacksmith to deny his daughter anything but this time he was adamant - Tamsin would stay at Stokesay as punishment.
And so it was that the five would-be swordbearers rode over the drawbridge the very next morning, not realising that their lives were soon to change in a most dramatic fashion.
Pisky sat in the great hall, a Cornish pasty in his hand and the obligatory bottle of 'Best Pixyland' sitting on the table before him. The cold winter sunlight shone through the large windows, making the cider shine like liquid gold as the pixy ate his breakfast. Beside him, Tobias was rifling through a sheaf of paper - computer prints delivered to him every morning courtesy of Erisian. Tobias liked to know what was going on in the wide corporate-controlled world, his maxim being 'Know thine enemy'. And what an enemy it was - since the corporate takeover and the release of the DNA666 plague, over one third of the population of the world had been killed and thousands imprisoned in concentration camps. Meanwhile, most of the rest were herded into ghettos and forced to work their fingers to the bone for the good of the 'world'. Of course that world was dominated by the Corporations, and they were controlled by a shadowy organisation whose existance was known only to a few outsiders.
Some said they were an offshoot of the Bavarian Illuminati, others that they were reptilian creatures from other worlds who had manipulated humanity since ancient times. Tobias didn't care who or what they were - Bavarian or Extra-terrestrial it was all the same to him - it was what they did that concerned him. One world Government, one world currency, one world religion - the ultimate goals of the shadowy figures at the top of the pyramid - and it was that dark organisation that Tobias considered his most dangerous enemy.
"Anything interesting ?", Pisky asked as he topped up Tobias' glass of 'Best Pixyland'.
"Not much", Tobias muttered absently. "One of Monsanto's warehouses was torched yesterday and a couple of people were jailed for breaching curfew in Birmingham", he picked up his glass and took a sip. "Verichip's new advert comes out in a couple of days trying to con people that 'its cool to be chipped'. Its a load of bollocks but the sheep will fall for it no doubt".
Pisky nodded in agreement, a look of resignation on his face. The pixy had already made his opinions on the subject quite obvious - anyone attempting to implant him with a microchip would find themselves walking very delicately back to their office with said chip deeply embedded somewhere the sun rarely reaches.
"Whats that you're talking about then ?" Fingal's Irish lilt echoed around the massive mediaeval hall as he entered from the courtyard. "And why weren't you heathen buggers at mass again ?"
Tobias looked up at the slight, grey haired priest and grinned. "We were having our own communion", he said, raising his glass to Fingal. The old priest shook his head with a smile on his face and took the chair opposite.
"So, what's up?" he asked, reaching for a glass which he promptly filled with cider.
"It's cool to chipped", Tobias said, handing a piece of computer paper to Fingal. The priest read it, dropped it to the table and scowled. "That's the Mark of the Beast if anything is", he said angrily. "Some people will accept it because it will help the police find missing kids. Others will fall for this 'Cool' malarkey, but a lot of them will be against it at the beginning. Then they'll say that having your financial data on a chip linked to some mainframe will help the fight against fraud. After all, you can lose your credit cards but you can't lose your hand". Fingal took a swig of cider. "Then they'll do away with cash altogether and force people to have the chip or they won't be able to buy or sell. Bastards".
Pisky nodded his agreement and took a drink.
"How's Erisian getting on translating that inscription from the crucifix ?" the old priest asked, referring to the cross that Benjj had volunteered to take to Jerusalem some two months previously. Prior to his departure, Erisian had copied the inscription with the hope of translating it using the computers in Stokesay.
"Bugger all so far", Pisky replied, "Its in no known language - at least not one that is anywhere on the net. Of course a lot of the net servers have been taken down or are now in corporate hands but even so she managed to hack into the British Museum site a few days ago. And guess what ? - even they don't have anything remotely resembling the inscription on the crucifix".
"Lets hope this Rabbi whatshisname can understand it then". Fingal finished his drink and poured another just as Angover appeared at the doorway. The blacksmith and his apprentice had been inside the bell tower of St. Philomena's helping with the finishing touches and removing the ancient bell which would be placed in storage to await a kinder world. Fingal had been saddened when Tobias had refused his request to call the faithful to mass by the ringing of the bell, but understood the reasoning behind such a denial. The sound would have easily travelled many miles and the risk of it being heard by unfriendly ears was too great to allow the priest even this small allowance. It was decided therefore to remove the bell. This would also take temptation from the children of the settlement, some of which had already been caught creeping into the church to play in the darkened recesses of the old building.
"Father", said Angover. He always called the old priest either 'Father' or 'Father Fingal' in respect for his calling; "Coleman found something in the tower".
Fingal placed his drink onto the table and turned to face the blacksmith; "And what would that be ?", he asked.
"Some kind of hollow space in the wall", came the reply; "The clumsy sod knocked into it when we were shifting the bell. We couldn't do anything right then or we'd have dropped the buggering thing right through the floor but as soon as we got it into the hoist and down to ground level, we had a look. There's definitely something there. Coleman found a little gap in the plaster and reckons its some kind of hidden room - he had his knife out and was about to get it open when I thought it was best to tell you first".
Fingal nodded and stood, following the blacksmith to the door; "Would any of you fine gentlemen care to accompany us ?", he said, turning to where Tobias and Pisky still sat. Tobias declined the offer, waving the papers towards the priest with a look of resignation. Pisky shrugged his shoulders, drained his cup and stood to follow.
The top of the bell tower seemed larger that it had previously, Fingal thought as he clambered up the ladder and through the trapdoor. Of course that was because the old bell was no longer taking up most of the space. A hole in the middle of the floor showed where Angover and Coleman had removed the floorboards in order to winch the bell down to the floor.
Fingal looked down at the hole in the floorboards, crossed himself and edged slowly to the other side of the floor to where the apprentice blacksmith crouched.
Coleman was about fifteen years old, thin with long dark hair and a pointed nose which turned upwards. He had been one of Arthur's people, and in fact it was the old Druid who gave him his name - Coleman Gray, named after a character in an old Cornish faerytale. Over time he had shown himself an able worker, eventually catching the eye of Angover, who took him as his apprentice. "After all", the blacksmith had said after a night on 'Best Pixyland', "Oi won't be here for ever".
"Let's see what you have there then", Fingal said, crouching beside the apprentice as Pisky joined them. Angover stood beside the pixy and watched with unveiled interest. Coleman leaned down, knife in hand and slipped the blade into an almost invisible crack in the plaster. He grinned at the old priest and twisted the knife. With a slight click, more cracks appeared in the plaster denoting a rectangular shape the length and height of a shoebox. Coleman put more pressure on the knife and with a snapping noise the plaster fell away, revealing a small dark hole cut into the underlying brickwork.
"See anything ?", Angover asked as Coleman bent to peer into the hole. The apprentice leaned closer, his head almost touching the surrounding plaster then put his spindly hand into the hole, a look of concentration on his face. "Looks like some kind of handle", he replied, leaning back and pulling at whatever was buried deep inside the brickwork. Finally, accompanied by a rather loud scraping noise, a small wooden box came into view. It was jammed tightly into its brick sarcophagus and it took all of Coleman's strength to draw it completely free.
Once released it was quite light in itself and Coleman was able to hold it in one hand. It was oak, sturdily made and completely undecorated, with the only markings being the scratches it received when being removed from its previous home. There was a small gilt handle on one of the longer sides, but it too was plain. There was no locking mechanism, the lid being made to fit snugly onto the top of the box itself. Coleman blew the brickdust from the box and handed it to Fingal who held it tightly as he began walking towards the trapdoor. The priest had spent enough time squatting precariously on the edge of the hole in the floorboards and desired a pint of 'Best Pixyland' before the box was opened. Pisky concurred and, followed by Angover and his excited apprentice, moved after the priest towards the ladder.
Pisky stood beside one of the outside tables, a piece of vellum in his hand. The parchment was not as old as Stokesay itself, but was old enough to require careful handling. Beside the pixy stood Fingal, the now empty box on the table before him accompanied by a small leather bag and piece of bone bearing a strange incription. The pixy had recognised the lettering as being runes, specifically the Elder Futhark - an ancient Germanic form of writing - but had been unable to translate the Norse language the message had been written in. Fortunately it appeared that someone had already taken the trouble to do so, and it was the story of that translation that Pisky now held in his hands. He quickly scanned the writing, the words written so many years ago by a man who is now a legend. A man who roved the world in voyages of discovery. A man who fought his Queen's enemies both home and abroad. A man whose honour was impeccable. Pisky held the parchment, cleared his throat and began to read.
"Synce yt behooves mee to leav accounte of mye resent discoveries for those who may followe, ande knowing as I do the demeanour of thoes seekyng thys tresure, I am playcing yt ande mye wordse yn a holy place knowne onlye to myeself and thowse I truste. Wen yt comese tyme, ye runes wil speake but wen thatte is, ownly thee Lorde knowes."
Pisky read slowly and succinctly, translating the Shakepearean language into contemporary speech as he went along. It told the story of the box and its contents, of an ancient smith and seven swords, while everyone crowded around in expectant anticipation.
"The Spanish were defeated, and being so trounced can cause little trouble for merry England now. With my Queen's blessing I chose to return to my lands and seek out the source of a legend, one that since my first learning of it as a boy, has held me captive for many a night. I include it herein."
Wayland was the son of the great God-Giant, Wade, King of the Finns. As a child his father sent him to be apprenticed to the greatest of master metalworkers, the dwarves of the Icelandic Mountains. Wayland learnt quickly and, as he grew, he began to outshine even his tutors. Before long he was unable to keep up with the demand for his wares. Kings and princes vied to possess more and more of his handiwork, and envy was rife. Covetous eyes pored over every newly worked item that emerged from Wayland�s forge, but the smith was not interested in the squabbles of mortals. He only wished to be left in peace to get on with his work. King Niduth of Sweden, however, had other ideas. He was consumed with envy every time anyone managed to purchase some of Wayland�s merchandise before him. He decided that Wayland�s great works were fit for no-one outside his family.
So he captured the smith and hamstrung him, making sure that he could never escape and forbidding anyone to visit him. But the wily Wayland made contact with his brother, Egil who designed for him a pair of wings with which he could make his escape. The king's greedy sons defied their father and entered Wayland's cave determined to take for themselves the best of the smith's work, but Wayland was prepared and slew the princes, removing their heads and turning their skulls into gold plated goblets which he sent to the king.
Collecting his wings, Wayland flew far and wide, eventually coming to rest across the North Sea in Britain. He discovered an ancient chambered tomb which he made his home. It was here that he was visited by Merlin himself, who had seen in a vision a dark time when the forces of evil held sway. Merlin commissioned Wayland to create seven swords, each of which would hold within a powerful magick. They would be named Cymru, Erin, Kernow, Caledonia, Mannin, Vectis and the greatest of them all would be Excalibur.
And when the swords were ready, Merlin and Wayland prepared strong magikal spells to keep them in safety until they were needed, for Merlin knew that he would be long gone by that time and Wayland could not see his future. But while the rituals were being performed, two vile entities - followers of evil - stole for their masters the sword 'Mannin' and the sword 'Vectis' and they were never heard of again. And when the place of safety was made, Wayland placed five swords inside and locked it with runic chants. And Excalibur was given to Merlin who gave it to King Arthur who wielded it until his death whereupon it was cast into the lake and returned to Wayland who locked it with the others.
And in time he made runestaves that would point the way to the swords, but only for those destined to be swordbearers.
"The search was long, and full of wrong turns leading me eventually to the City of York where as luck would have it, I met with an old man whose ancestors settled in that fair city during the time of the Danelaw. With his aid, I obtained my goal, but not without catching the eye of a dark coven who sought to deprive me of my treasure and my very life.
I took flight to Stokesay, where an old friend ran the manor. There, accompanied by old Amundson and de Ludlow, my friend, I cast the runes. Six times I cast them as instructed by Wayland himself, whose instructions I translated from the bone runewand. Six times - five times for the swords, the last for the place of their repose. But the runes said nothing. The swords were not for me, nor for my companions. I was hoping to obtain them and with them vanquish the two swords in the hands of darkness, but it was not to be so.
With a heavy heart, Amundson returned to York while I stayed for a while enjoying de Ludlow's company. Then one day a group of hooded riders visited the manor house. They asked for me but de Ludlow, fearing for my life, denied that I was here. The riders left but I knew then that the runes must be hidden and I must leave.
Once I have completed this missive, I plan to return to my first love - the sea. The coven still seeks my death and they are strong indeed, although not so strong as to have been able to obtain for themselves the swords. For those coming later, beware the coven, those who revere death, for they desire the treasure and will do all in their power to gain it."
Pisky picked up his glass of cider and took a sip. Then, taking a deep breath he completed the rendition.
"Ande nowe I leave ye with but one reequeste, and thatt is that thou who followe mee do as I did. caste ye runes and followe theyr advise. Yf they speake notte, as theye didst notte for mee, reeplayce the box into the churche and thynk no more of yt. For yf they speake notte, then they are notte for ye. Yf they speake, thenne maye thee Lorde blesse ye and may Britain bee gratefulle".
It was signed Francis Drake
"Feck me !", muttered Loki, "Francis Drake ?"
Pisky replaced the parchment into the little box and nodded his head; "looks like it", he replied.
Everyone looked at the small leather bag which until now had not been opened. "Tobias ?", Pisky asked, "Do we caste ye runes and followe theyr advise ?" The pixy grinned.
"May as well", Tobias said, reaching for the bag and untying the leather thong at the top. "Here", he said to Rhiannon who stood close by. "You do it".
"Me ???", the woman asked with a shocked look on her face.
"Why not ?"
"Wow !" She exclaimed. "Right now ?"
Tobias nodded.
Taking a deep breath, Rhiannon leaned over the table, released the top and tipped the runes into her hand. They were small carved pieces of wood from a grove of tree that no longer existed. Pisky noticed that there were more than the normal twenty four runes of the Elder Futhark.
"OK", Rhiannon said breathlessly, "Here goes !", and with that, she cast the runes over the table.
The runestaves hit the table and spun around. Over and over they bounced as if they were organising themselves in sequence - as if they had lives of their own or were being placed in position by an invisible hand. Eventually they stopped and as if the power manipulating them had been roughly ripped away, lay flat on the table.
Most of the staves were face down displaying no runic symbols, however the ones that did have visible symbols lay in such a manner as to make the message obvious to all.
Pisky looked at the staves, his rusty knowledge of runic symbols quite adequate for the task.
"KayEm", he said "Cymru"
"What ?", asked KayEm, who had been standing behind Pisky chatting to Sarah and LadyCool.
"Your name just came up with the name of the sword Cymru", Pisky explained to his bemused wife.
"Looks like its true then", Loki exclaimed, "What Drake said about the runestaves."
"Not necessarily", Asala said as she leaned over and watched Rhiannon pick up the runestaves for the next casting, "If there's one thing I learned from ATS it was to be skeptical. It could be true. Given the odds, it probably is, but there's only been one casting so far - lets see what happens next".
Rhiannon held the runes in her hand and at a signal from Tobias, let them drop.
Once again they danced around, placing themselves in order. Once again they seemed controlled by an outside force and once again they displayed a message.
"Tobias - Excalibur", the pixy translated.
Tobias rested his hand on the hilt of the broadsword hanging from his thick belt. The replica of Excalibur that Arthur had bequeathed to him just before his death. "Well old man", he said addressing the druid's spirit, "The true Excalibur. If anyone deserved it, it was you. I hope I'll do you proud".
"You have so far", said Fingal, placing a hand on Tobias' shoulder. The soldier smiled.
Rhiannon cast the runes yet again. Asala was no longer skeptical and watched with baited breath as the staves organised themselves into the relevant message.
"Fingal - Erin" Pisky grinned at the old priest.
"Whale oil beef hooked !", Fingal exclaimed. "That's something I never expected. And to be honest, if it hadn't been for Drake's explanation, I'd have turned the thing down as heathenish". He lifted his ever-present bottle and drank a toast to Drake and Wayland.
The runes were cast once more. They skittered around, flipped and spun and eventually told their message.
"Pisky", said the pixy, grinning, "Kernow"
"Now why doesn't that surprise me ?", asked LadyCool, "You are the original Cornish pixy after all"
Sarah was perplexed. "What's that mean ?", she asked LC. Being a New Yorker she was unaware of the nuances of ancient British languages.
"The word 'Kernow' is in the Cornish language", LC explained as she watched Rhiannon collect the runes again, "It means Cornwall"
"Oh", said Sarah, "thanks". And she turned to watch the next casting.
"Sarah - Caledonia".
Sarah's eyes widened and blinked her eyes in shock. "Me ?", she exclaimed, "Why me ? I'm not even British" She turned towards where Tobias and Pisky stood grinning. "Don't ask me", said the pixy, "Obviously Wayland knows something we don't - and anyway, KayEm's not British either. Maybe its something to do with your ancestors".
"Cool", said Sarah.
"Last one", said Tobias, motioning to Rhiannon to cast the runes one final time. This time the message would tell where the swords were to be found. The woman took a deep breath and scattered the runes. They hit the table and began their magickal dance. Suddenly a small grey shape flew out of the nearby window, landed on the table and shot away. The kitten was followed almost instantly by Phoebe who, not as dextrous as Pillywiggin, slammed onto the table, slipped and knocked the runes onto the grass below. With LC yelling unladylike comments behind them, the cat and dog rushed through the gatehouse to disappear into the long grass at the other side of the moat.
Pisky bent down, hoping that the message would be visible despite the bad treatment the runes had received. He was not to be disappointed.
"Wayland's Smithy", he said. "Obvious really".
"Where ?" KayEm bent down and began picking up the runes.
"An ancient burial mound near Oxford", the pixy explained. "Close to the Uffington white horse. It's been known as 'Waylands Smithy for hundreds of years. I wonder why Drake didn't work it out?"
"Maybe only the ones destined for the swords are able to claim them", Asala suggested as KayEm replaced the staves into the old leather pouch. "Remember, Waylands Smithy has been visited by thousands of people over the years and as far as I know, there has been no mention of anyone finding any swords".
"Seems fair enough", the pixy replied, "Unless the swords have been found but the finders have kept things quiet".
Asala thought for a while, leaning against the table and lighting a cigarette. "Not necessarily", she said eventually, "Drake said that two swords are 'in the hands of darkness'. I bet that if we had cast the runes another twice, we would have just got garbled crap. The runes don't recognise those two swords anymore. If any others had been found, surely the runes wouldn't have recognised them either".
Pisky nodded, confirming Asala's logic. Asala merely grinned and strode off to prepare lunch.
The rest of the day was spent dscussing exactly what to do next. Obviously there was more to this than met the eye, especially with the strange actions of the runestaves. As for the rest of the story - the truth or otherwise of that could only be proved by actually going to the place mentioned in the last casting. KayEm and Sarah were both eager to leave immediately in search of the fabled swords, but fortunately more sober minds prevailed. Pisky arranged the horses and equipment necessary for the trip to darkest Oxfordshire, while Erisian furnished Tobias with up to date maps of the area. These maps included the positions of corporate and Azraelite bases which the adventurers preferred to avoid. Loki supplied ammunition for the firearms while Asala rummaged through the food supply and dug out rations enough to last the journey.
Late that evening the contigent sat in the main hall, drinking and finalising their plans. Since Tobias would be absent for the duration of the trip, Pantha would be in nominal control of Stokesay. LC was seconded to aid Erisian with her monitoring of corporate wavelengths and internet transmissions, which suited both of them after the debacle of Butser. Loki was still working on a defence system which of course included booby-traps and explosives, and Asala had found her niche as Stokesay's chef - the cooking area being known playfully as 'Asala's Kitchen'.
Earlier in the day, Tamsin had asked Tobias if she could join the travellers but that idea had been vetoed by Angover who was furious that his daughter had been found playing with a ouija board. A couple of days earlier, LadyCool had came across Tamsin and Damien fooling around with a handmade board and, realising the dangers of such things, took the board from them and threw it into Angover's furnace. That would have been the end of it, had it not been for Damien's constant whining about LC's action - whining which eventually came to the ears of Angover. It was difficult for the blacksmith to deny his daughter anything but this time he was adamant - Tamsin would stay at Stokesay as punishment.
And so it was that the five would-be swordbearers rode over the drawbridge the very next morning, not realising that their lives were soon to change in a most dramatic fashion.
DARN, I wish i didn't have to go to work, Im halfway through reading!! I can't wait to get home and finish this, and see what happens!!!!!!
good job pisky!!
good job pisky!!
oooooh very very good, wow, who would have thought that i would be destined to wield a sword. i can't wait to see where this adventure takes
everyone!!
awesome work yet again pisky,
I must tell you, the last paragraph gave me goose bumps.
[edit on 8/22/2004 by smilingsarah82]
awesome work yet again pisky,
I must tell you, the last paragraph gave me goose bumps.
[edit on 8/22/2004 by smilingsarah82]
I must have missed your update on this one pisky anouther master piece well done took me a while to read it looking forword to the next
installment
Chapter 24 - The Dove and the Raven
Like the brief doomed flare of exploding suns that registers dimly on blind men's eyes,the beginning of the horror passed almost unnoticed; in the shriek of what followed, in fact, was forgotten and perhaps not connected to the horror all. It was difficult to judge.
William Peter Blatty - The Exorcist.
"Tamsin ?"
There was no reply. The young girl just stood quietly at the edge of the graveyard staring at the church. The ancient gravestones caught and reflected the light of the full moon, looking like the teeth of some antediluvian creature long dead while Tamsin herself had taken an almost ghostly demeanour, the white of her dress standing out against the dark bulk of the church and her hair wafting in the slight midnight breeze.
"Tamsin ? What are you doing out here ?" Asala walked towards the silent figure, a cold finger of something moving down her spine raising goosebumps along her arms. "God, I hate graveyards !", Asala muttered as she walked along the gravel path towards where Tamsin stood like a finely carved statue.
"Tamsin ?"
Nothing.
Asala reached out and grasped the girl's arm. "Tamsin ?"
Tamsin turned slowly, blinking her eyes as if returning from a deep sleep. "Oh, Hi Asala", she said cheerily, "What are you doing?"
"Looking for you", came the reply. Asala cocked her head to one side and smiled at the young girl. "Have you been here all the time ?"
A pensive look crossed Tamsin's face. "What do you mean ? - I've only just come here, I ..." She looked around. "It's dark !", she exclaimed.
"Exactly"
"But I only left ..."
"Five hours ago", Asala tried to keep the worry from her face.
"Five hours ??? ... I could swear that I only left about twenty minutes ago"
The breeze picked up. Asala shivered, not sure if it was because of the weather or something else. "Let's get back", she suggested, leading the bewildered girl along the path towards the gatehouse.
"Five hours ?" Tamsin was still incredulous. "You must be having a laugh. You're joking right ?".
She looked around at the group of people gathered nearby. No one was laughing. LadyCool sat petting Phoebe with a serious expression on her face. Pantha was perched on a stool nearest to Tamsin and squeezed her hand. "It's probably nothing", she said, smiling. But the smile didn't reach her eyes. "Why don't you just go to bed now and it'll all look better in the morning".
Tamsin smiled wanly, nodded her head and stood. She hugged Pantha before following her father towards the Smithy where they had their sleeping arrangements. Pantha bit her bottom lip, wondering, thinking of Tamsin, of her own children so far away in the Highlands, and of the five members of Stokesay currently heading into the wilds of Oxfordshire in search of ancient artifacts that may or may not exist.
"How many times now ?", LadyCool asked.
"Seven, eight maybe - I haven't been counting" Pantha replied. "Poor girl".
"Could it be epilepsy ?", came Loki's voice from the far side of the hall where he was pouring pints of 'Best Pixyland'.
"I'm not sure of anything at this point", Erisian sighed, "Most of the medical records have been removed from the net for some reason - I had to crack the BMC files and could only stay there for a few minutes at most. It could be a kind of 'petit mal' - her mind just switches off. She goes missing for hours at a time, and when she's found, insists that she's only been gone for a few minutes. Plus she's disorientated - as if she's been woken from a deep sleep. What else could it be ?"
"This is going to sound off the wall", Loki said as he brough over a tray of drinks, "But has anyone ever considered a more 'unusual' possibility ?"
"Unusual ?"
"As in 'abduction'"
"ET ?"
"Yes - you can't just ignore the possibilty now - not after what happened at Butser". Loki picked up his glass and drank deeply.
"To be honest, I doubt it", Erisian said. "There would have been other evidence - lights, noises, physical evidence. No, I'm virtually certain that there's no Extra-Terrestrial reason behind Tamsin's problem".
"Has anyone ever seen the beginning of one of these 'absences' ?" Asala asked, glancing around the room.
"I haven't", Pantha replied, "and I've been working with her in the infirmary since KayEm left".
LadyCool shook her head, as did Loki. Coleman, who had been sitting beside the fire also replied in the negative. "I haven't seen anything like that at all", he said, "Neither has Angover. He's worried though, even though he hides it. You can see it in his eyes".
"He lost his wife in the plague", Pantha explained. "He dotes on Tamsin".
Coleman took his drink and sank back into silence.
"Has she always been found at the same place ?" LadyCool asked, pushing Phoebe away and picking up her own drink.
"Not the exact place, but close enough", Erisian replied, "Always around the graveyard".
Asala shivered. "I hate that place", she exclaimed, "It's even worse at night ... Brrrrrr", she shivered again.
"So if she's always found around the same place", asked Loki, "Why does it take so long to find her".
"It's always the first place we look", Erisian said, "and she is never there - not until later on. She must go somewhere else beforehand".
"That figures".
Pantha leaned forward and rubbed her eyes; "I don't think it's safe for Tamsin to go out alone any more. Someone will have to be with her at all times - just until we find out what this is all about. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to her".
"Do you know what I find weird ?", asked Tobias as they rode along the trackway heading towards the village of Hatherop.
Pisky turned to face the soldier; "What ?"
"All the weird stuff that's been going on recently". Tobias smiled.
"Care to elaborate, oh wise one ?" replied the grinning Pisky, uncorking a bottle of 'Best Pixyland' and taking a drink.
"Well", Tobias continued, "When I was young, I believed in magick. I remember watching the old 'Jack the Giant Killer' film and Harryhausen's animations - you know, 'Jason and the Argonauts', 'Sinbad', 'Battle of the Titans' - and I really wanted to be one of those heroes who saves the damsel and kills the monster. Then I realised that the world isn't like that. There aren't any walking skeletons, no hydra, no Medusa - and for a while I thought 'well, what can I do now'. Almost as if I was born in the wrong time".
"We've all felt that at one time or another'" the pixy interrupted, passing the bottle to Tobias. "I've lost count of the number of times I felt that I would have been much more at home in mediaeval England, in the age of chivalry".
"Defending the realm, with your lady's favour on your arm and a flagon of 'Best Pixyland' to boost your flagging spirits after a Knight on the tiles', Tobias laughed, taking a drink and passing the bottle along to KayEm.
"But you know something", the soildier continued, "It's different now. And I'm not just talking about the Corporates and all that crap. Weird things are going on and we're in the middle of it. Think about it - Pantha's dream about Saint Philomena that saved her life. You lot finding the lab with the grey alien in it. The chups and now this rune stuff. Something strange is going on. I'll start believing in pixies next".
"You mean you don't already ?", grinned Pisky with a knowing look on his face.
"Oh, you poor little creature"; Tamsin bent down to examine the bird lying on the grass. It looked up at her with fear in its eyes, flapping Its left wing ineffectually as it tried to return to the skies. "The wing's broken", Pantha explained as she watched the bird's attempts to fly, "And see there ...", she pointed to a gash just behind its head, "It looks as if a hawk caught it".
"We can't just leave it here", Tamsin said, taking off her lightweight jacket and wrapping it around the bird, securing it safely and making sure that it couldn't damage itself with its desperate attempts to escape. Pantha smiled at Tamsin's compassion for the creature.
"What kind of bird is it ?", the girl asked as they walked back through the fields towards the castle. "It looks like a pigeon, but not quite".
"It's a dove", Pantha explained, "I think there used to be a dovecot in the village - it must have been living there until the hawk spotted it. It's lucky you were passing or even though it avoided the hawk, being stuck on the ground would have put it at the mercy of foxes".
Pantha walked slowly alongside the girl with hope in her heart. "Maybe, just maybe", Pantha thought, "Tamsin's 'spells' are psychological rather than physical. Maybe looking after the bird will give her something to concentrate on - maybe even help her. It can't have been nice losing her mother in such a way and now being stuck in a world gone mad. It's bad enough for us, but what could it be like for a sensitive young girl ?"
After taking the injured bird to the castle, Tamsin set to with a will, cleaning its wounds and making a little splint to fix the broken bones of it's wing. Soon the bird was sitting in a box, wrapped in soft wool and still unable to move but no longer fearful. Tamsin sat beside the table on which the box lay, and smiled. Across the room from her, Loki was fiddling with a piece of electrical equipment, muttering the occasional obscenity as sparks spat from the bowels of the machine. "What's that ?", Tamsin asked, intrigued.
"A solar battery", came the reply. "Basically a battery that uses a miniscule amount of the sun's light to power ... well, anything really".
"We already have those", Tamsin explained, "We've had them for years"
"They're crap though", Loki replied, "Erisian found some 'free energy' site on the net before the Corporates took it down, and one idea explained how to boost the existing solar panels. May as well give it a go - we can't lose anything by it and if it works it will be one up for the good guys".
"How're things going then?"
"Crap - but, as Scarlett O'Hara said 'Tomorrow is another day' - maybe I'll get it working then. On the other hand, maybe I'll just sling the whole thing out the window". Tamsin giggled.
"How's the bird?" Loki asked, putting down the solar panel and following Tamsin to the makeshift 'Bird Hospital'
"A lot better", Tamsin explained. "The cut wasn't as bad as I thought and the wing will heal nicely I think".
"And how are you feeling ?"
"Fine", came the reply. "I really don't need chaperoning all over the place though. First Pantha, then Asala, now you - I'm fine, really".
"Pantha's orders", said Loki, "Until KayEm gets back and can check you over, we don't want to risk anything happening to you".
Tamsin sighed, "I guess not", she said in an exasperated tone, "Shall we go back to the kitchen then - I want to see if Asala has anything I can feed the bird with". And with that, she picked up the box and led the way out of the tower.
It was mid morning when the riders finally reached their destination. Other than the occasional helicopter (avoided) and Corporate scouting party (destroyed), they had seen very few people since leaving Stokesay. Of course the fact that they travelled such a route as to avoid major towns virtually guaranteed their safe passage, but Pisky was uneasy. Reigning in a mile away from their destination, he insisted on walking the horses the rest of the way, making them virtually invisible as they moved slowly along the high hedged Ridgeway.
"Something isn't right", the pixy explained, leading the group towards the woods that denoted the position of Wayland's Smithy.
"What ?", asked KayEm, scanning the road ahead.
"I can't put my fingure on it", came the reply, "But I don't think we're alone".
Tobias looked towards the woods. Pointing, he moved past the pixy and led them beyond the treeline. "OK people", he said once all were assembled, "We leave the horses here and walk the rest of the way. KayEm and Sarah, you're with me - We're going in the front way. Pisky - you and Fingal go around the back and come in from that side. We meet at the entrance".
The pixy and the priest nodded and began walking, moving deeper into the woods in order to flank the ancient ruins of Wayland's Smithy. KayEm checked her rifle and grinned. Tobias unclipped his hoster and led the way towards the entrance.
Wayland's Smithy was impressive. A Neolithic long barrow at least five thousand years old, it stretched for almost two hundred feet and was a quarter of that size at its widest point. Four huge stone uprights guarded the entrance to the burial chambers, where, it is rumoured, Wayland himself once lived. Tobias whistled as he reached the entrance. "You know what I feel?", he asked as KayEm and Sarah joined him, "A kind of heavyness - like a rock in my mind, pushing downwards".
"I felt the same at Stonehenge", KayEm replied, "As if I was being almost crushed by some invisible force".
Sarah leaned against one of the rocks and peered down the small tunnel. She crouched and ran her hand over the soft sandy floor. "Here", she whispered, gesturing towards her companions. "How long do you think that's been here?"
It was a footprint. A pointed boot had scuffed part of the floor. How long it had been there was anyone's guess.
"Feck knows", Tobias said. "Could be a month, could be yesterday". He stood and peered down the passageway. He was just about to lead the way inside when a soft crunching sound met his ears. It was coming from inside the barrow.
Rapidly, the three scattered, each crouching in the nearby bushes, weapons loaded and aimed at the entrance. From the passageway the sound of crunching boots could be heard, louder now. A dark shadow appeared, followed by a figure who stood for a little while between the sarsen uprights, blinking at the sunlight. Tobias stood, his pistol aimed directly at the newcomer. KayEm and Sarah did likewise.
The soldier moved forward, the slight figure at the entrance noticed him for the first time and tensed. It was a tall, willowy woman with long black hair and piercing blue eyes. She wore a black shirt and jeans and had a pair of pointed boots on her feet. Tobias watched as she moved into the full light of the sun. On her left arm was an insignia, one that Tobias didn't recognise. In her right hand she held a little brush.
Ignoring the fact that there were three firearms aimed directly at her, the woman turned to Tobias and put her hand on her hip. "Do you mind explaining what you are doing on my dig ?", she asked.
"Your what ???" asked Tobias astounded at the woman's imperious tone.
"My dig - you know, Archaelogy. This is an ancient site after all"
"Your dig ?"
The woman shook her head and sighed. "Well, I'm the one with the research permits", she replied, "So I guess that makes it my dig".
KayEm stepped forward; "Who exactly are you ?".
The woman smiled. "My name is Ravenna", she replied with a nod of her head, "And I am a member of .."
"Vatican Archaelogical Research", Fingal completed, walking towards the group with the pixy trailing behind.
The smile was wiped off Ravenna's face by the old priest's next words.
"Also known as the Pope's Graverobbers"
Like the brief doomed flare of exploding suns that registers dimly on blind men's eyes,the beginning of the horror passed almost unnoticed; in the shriek of what followed, in fact, was forgotten and perhaps not connected to the horror all. It was difficult to judge.
William Peter Blatty - The Exorcist.
"Tamsin ?"
There was no reply. The young girl just stood quietly at the edge of the graveyard staring at the church. The ancient gravestones caught and reflected the light of the full moon, looking like the teeth of some antediluvian creature long dead while Tamsin herself had taken an almost ghostly demeanour, the white of her dress standing out against the dark bulk of the church and her hair wafting in the slight midnight breeze.
"Tamsin ? What are you doing out here ?" Asala walked towards the silent figure, a cold finger of something moving down her spine raising goosebumps along her arms. "God, I hate graveyards !", Asala muttered as she walked along the gravel path towards where Tamsin stood like a finely carved statue.
"Tamsin ?"
Nothing.
Asala reached out and grasped the girl's arm. "Tamsin ?"
Tamsin turned slowly, blinking her eyes as if returning from a deep sleep. "Oh, Hi Asala", she said cheerily, "What are you doing?"
"Looking for you", came the reply. Asala cocked her head to one side and smiled at the young girl. "Have you been here all the time ?"
A pensive look crossed Tamsin's face. "What do you mean ? - I've only just come here, I ..." She looked around. "It's dark !", she exclaimed.
"Exactly"
"But I only left ..."
"Five hours ago", Asala tried to keep the worry from her face.
"Five hours ??? ... I could swear that I only left about twenty minutes ago"
The breeze picked up. Asala shivered, not sure if it was because of the weather or something else. "Let's get back", she suggested, leading the bewildered girl along the path towards the gatehouse.
"Five hours ?" Tamsin was still incredulous. "You must be having a laugh. You're joking right ?".
She looked around at the group of people gathered nearby. No one was laughing. LadyCool sat petting Phoebe with a serious expression on her face. Pantha was perched on a stool nearest to Tamsin and squeezed her hand. "It's probably nothing", she said, smiling. But the smile didn't reach her eyes. "Why don't you just go to bed now and it'll all look better in the morning".
Tamsin smiled wanly, nodded her head and stood. She hugged Pantha before following her father towards the Smithy where they had their sleeping arrangements. Pantha bit her bottom lip, wondering, thinking of Tamsin, of her own children so far away in the Highlands, and of the five members of Stokesay currently heading into the wilds of Oxfordshire in search of ancient artifacts that may or may not exist.
"How many times now ?", LadyCool asked.
"Seven, eight maybe - I haven't been counting" Pantha replied. "Poor girl".
"Could it be epilepsy ?", came Loki's voice from the far side of the hall where he was pouring pints of 'Best Pixyland'.
"I'm not sure of anything at this point", Erisian sighed, "Most of the medical records have been removed from the net for some reason - I had to crack the BMC files and could only stay there for a few minutes at most. It could be a kind of 'petit mal' - her mind just switches off. She goes missing for hours at a time, and when she's found, insists that she's only been gone for a few minutes. Plus she's disorientated - as if she's been woken from a deep sleep. What else could it be ?"
"This is going to sound off the wall", Loki said as he brough over a tray of drinks, "But has anyone ever considered a more 'unusual' possibility ?"
"Unusual ?"
"As in 'abduction'"
"ET ?"
"Yes - you can't just ignore the possibilty now - not after what happened at Butser". Loki picked up his glass and drank deeply.
"To be honest, I doubt it", Erisian said. "There would have been other evidence - lights, noises, physical evidence. No, I'm virtually certain that there's no Extra-Terrestrial reason behind Tamsin's problem".
"Has anyone ever seen the beginning of one of these 'absences' ?" Asala asked, glancing around the room.
"I haven't", Pantha replied, "and I've been working with her in the infirmary since KayEm left".
LadyCool shook her head, as did Loki. Coleman, who had been sitting beside the fire also replied in the negative. "I haven't seen anything like that at all", he said, "Neither has Angover. He's worried though, even though he hides it. You can see it in his eyes".
"He lost his wife in the plague", Pantha explained. "He dotes on Tamsin".
Coleman took his drink and sank back into silence.
"Has she always been found at the same place ?" LadyCool asked, pushing Phoebe away and picking up her own drink.
"Not the exact place, but close enough", Erisian replied, "Always around the graveyard".
Asala shivered. "I hate that place", she exclaimed, "It's even worse at night ... Brrrrrr", she shivered again.
"So if she's always found around the same place", asked Loki, "Why does it take so long to find her".
"It's always the first place we look", Erisian said, "and she is never there - not until later on. She must go somewhere else beforehand".
"That figures".
Pantha leaned forward and rubbed her eyes; "I don't think it's safe for Tamsin to go out alone any more. Someone will have to be with her at all times - just until we find out what this is all about. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to her".
"Do you know what I find weird ?", asked Tobias as they rode along the trackway heading towards the village of Hatherop.
Pisky turned to face the soldier; "What ?"
"All the weird stuff that's been going on recently". Tobias smiled.
"Care to elaborate, oh wise one ?" replied the grinning Pisky, uncorking a bottle of 'Best Pixyland' and taking a drink.
"Well", Tobias continued, "When I was young, I believed in magick. I remember watching the old 'Jack the Giant Killer' film and Harryhausen's animations - you know, 'Jason and the Argonauts', 'Sinbad', 'Battle of the Titans' - and I really wanted to be one of those heroes who saves the damsel and kills the monster. Then I realised that the world isn't like that. There aren't any walking skeletons, no hydra, no Medusa - and for a while I thought 'well, what can I do now'. Almost as if I was born in the wrong time".
"We've all felt that at one time or another'" the pixy interrupted, passing the bottle to Tobias. "I've lost count of the number of times I felt that I would have been much more at home in mediaeval England, in the age of chivalry".
"Defending the realm, with your lady's favour on your arm and a flagon of 'Best Pixyland' to boost your flagging spirits after a Knight on the tiles', Tobias laughed, taking a drink and passing the bottle along to KayEm.
"But you know something", the soildier continued, "It's different now. And I'm not just talking about the Corporates and all that crap. Weird things are going on and we're in the middle of it. Think about it - Pantha's dream about Saint Philomena that saved her life. You lot finding the lab with the grey alien in it. The chups and now this rune stuff. Something strange is going on. I'll start believing in pixies next".
"You mean you don't already ?", grinned Pisky with a knowing look on his face.
"Oh, you poor little creature"; Tamsin bent down to examine the bird lying on the grass. It looked up at her with fear in its eyes, flapping Its left wing ineffectually as it tried to return to the skies. "The wing's broken", Pantha explained as she watched the bird's attempts to fly, "And see there ...", she pointed to a gash just behind its head, "It looks as if a hawk caught it".
"We can't just leave it here", Tamsin said, taking off her lightweight jacket and wrapping it around the bird, securing it safely and making sure that it couldn't damage itself with its desperate attempts to escape. Pantha smiled at Tamsin's compassion for the creature.
"What kind of bird is it ?", the girl asked as they walked back through the fields towards the castle. "It looks like a pigeon, but not quite".
"It's a dove", Pantha explained, "I think there used to be a dovecot in the village - it must have been living there until the hawk spotted it. It's lucky you were passing or even though it avoided the hawk, being stuck on the ground would have put it at the mercy of foxes".
Pantha walked slowly alongside the girl with hope in her heart. "Maybe, just maybe", Pantha thought, "Tamsin's 'spells' are psychological rather than physical. Maybe looking after the bird will give her something to concentrate on - maybe even help her. It can't have been nice losing her mother in such a way and now being stuck in a world gone mad. It's bad enough for us, but what could it be like for a sensitive young girl ?"
After taking the injured bird to the castle, Tamsin set to with a will, cleaning its wounds and making a little splint to fix the broken bones of it's wing. Soon the bird was sitting in a box, wrapped in soft wool and still unable to move but no longer fearful. Tamsin sat beside the table on which the box lay, and smiled. Across the room from her, Loki was fiddling with a piece of electrical equipment, muttering the occasional obscenity as sparks spat from the bowels of the machine. "What's that ?", Tamsin asked, intrigued.
"A solar battery", came the reply. "Basically a battery that uses a miniscule amount of the sun's light to power ... well, anything really".
"We already have those", Tamsin explained, "We've had them for years"
"They're crap though", Loki replied, "Erisian found some 'free energy' site on the net before the Corporates took it down, and one idea explained how to boost the existing solar panels. May as well give it a go - we can't lose anything by it and if it works it will be one up for the good guys".
"How're things going then?"
"Crap - but, as Scarlett O'Hara said 'Tomorrow is another day' - maybe I'll get it working then. On the other hand, maybe I'll just sling the whole thing out the window". Tamsin giggled.
"How's the bird?" Loki asked, putting down the solar panel and following Tamsin to the makeshift 'Bird Hospital'
"A lot better", Tamsin explained. "The cut wasn't as bad as I thought and the wing will heal nicely I think".
"And how are you feeling ?"
"Fine", came the reply. "I really don't need chaperoning all over the place though. First Pantha, then Asala, now you - I'm fine, really".
"Pantha's orders", said Loki, "Until KayEm gets back and can check you over, we don't want to risk anything happening to you".
Tamsin sighed, "I guess not", she said in an exasperated tone, "Shall we go back to the kitchen then - I want to see if Asala has anything I can feed the bird with". And with that, she picked up the box and led the way out of the tower.
It was mid morning when the riders finally reached their destination. Other than the occasional helicopter (avoided) and Corporate scouting party (destroyed), they had seen very few people since leaving Stokesay. Of course the fact that they travelled such a route as to avoid major towns virtually guaranteed their safe passage, but Pisky was uneasy. Reigning in a mile away from their destination, he insisted on walking the horses the rest of the way, making them virtually invisible as they moved slowly along the high hedged Ridgeway.
"Something isn't right", the pixy explained, leading the group towards the woods that denoted the position of Wayland's Smithy.
"What ?", asked KayEm, scanning the road ahead.
"I can't put my fingure on it", came the reply, "But I don't think we're alone".
Tobias looked towards the woods. Pointing, he moved past the pixy and led them beyond the treeline. "OK people", he said once all were assembled, "We leave the horses here and walk the rest of the way. KayEm and Sarah, you're with me - We're going in the front way. Pisky - you and Fingal go around the back and come in from that side. We meet at the entrance".
The pixy and the priest nodded and began walking, moving deeper into the woods in order to flank the ancient ruins of Wayland's Smithy. KayEm checked her rifle and grinned. Tobias unclipped his hoster and led the way towards the entrance.
Wayland's Smithy was impressive. A Neolithic long barrow at least five thousand years old, it stretched for almost two hundred feet and was a quarter of that size at its widest point. Four huge stone uprights guarded the entrance to the burial chambers, where, it is rumoured, Wayland himself once lived. Tobias whistled as he reached the entrance. "You know what I feel?", he asked as KayEm and Sarah joined him, "A kind of heavyness - like a rock in my mind, pushing downwards".
"I felt the same at Stonehenge", KayEm replied, "As if I was being almost crushed by some invisible force".
Sarah leaned against one of the rocks and peered down the small tunnel. She crouched and ran her hand over the soft sandy floor. "Here", she whispered, gesturing towards her companions. "How long do you think that's been here?"
It was a footprint. A pointed boot had scuffed part of the floor. How long it had been there was anyone's guess.
"Feck knows", Tobias said. "Could be a month, could be yesterday". He stood and peered down the passageway. He was just about to lead the way inside when a soft crunching sound met his ears. It was coming from inside the barrow.
Rapidly, the three scattered, each crouching in the nearby bushes, weapons loaded and aimed at the entrance. From the passageway the sound of crunching boots could be heard, louder now. A dark shadow appeared, followed by a figure who stood for a little while between the sarsen uprights, blinking at the sunlight. Tobias stood, his pistol aimed directly at the newcomer. KayEm and Sarah did likewise.
The soldier moved forward, the slight figure at the entrance noticed him for the first time and tensed. It was a tall, willowy woman with long black hair and piercing blue eyes. She wore a black shirt and jeans and had a pair of pointed boots on her feet. Tobias watched as she moved into the full light of the sun. On her left arm was an insignia, one that Tobias didn't recognise. In her right hand she held a little brush.
Ignoring the fact that there were three firearms aimed directly at her, the woman turned to Tobias and put her hand on her hip. "Do you mind explaining what you are doing on my dig ?", she asked.
"Your what ???" asked Tobias astounded at the woman's imperious tone.
"My dig - you know, Archaelogy. This is an ancient site after all"
"Your dig ?"
The woman shook her head and sighed. "Well, I'm the one with the research permits", she replied, "So I guess that makes it my dig".
KayEm stepped forward; "Who exactly are you ?".
The woman smiled. "My name is Ravenna", she replied with a nod of her head, "And I am a member of .."
"Vatican Archaelogical Research", Fingal completed, walking towards the group with the pixy trailing behind.
The smile was wiped off Ravenna's face by the old priest's next words.
"Also known as the Pope's Graverobbers"
My fame is ensured !
I hope I get a free bottle of cider ?
[edit on 12-9-2004 by Ravenna]
I hope I get a free bottle of cider ?
[edit on 12-9-2004 by Ravenna]
Ok its 6am nearly am going to have to finish the nxt half off at a later point but keep it up pisky good work
I tell you, Pisky, I never get tired of reading this stuff. I'm excited for the next chapter, man. I'm loving it!
Good work pisky' managed to finish the last half off shame that your not going to be around to finish it off due to unforseen problems just have to
wait for the next installment I guess
Awesome yet again pisky!!! can't wait for the next chapter, this is getting really good, can't wait to see whats really happening to tasmin!
new topics
-
2024 Pigeon Forge Rod Run - On the Strip (Video made for you)
Automotive Discussion: 34 minutes ago -
Gaza Terrorists Attack US Humanitarian Pier During Construction
Middle East Issues: 1 hours ago -
The functionality of boldening and italics is clunky and no post char limit warning?
ATS Freshman's Forum: 2 hours ago -
Meadows, Giuliani Among 11 Indicted in Arizona in Latest 2020 Election Subversion Case
Mainstream News: 2 hours ago -
Massachusetts Drag Queen Leads Young Kids in Free Palestine Chant
Social Issues and Civil Unrest: 2 hours ago -
Weinstein's conviction overturned
Mainstream News: 4 hours ago -
Supreme Court Oral Arguments 4.25.2024 - Are PRESIDENTS IMMUNE From Later Being Prosecuted.
Above Politics: 5 hours ago -
Krystalnacht on today's most elite Universities?
Social Issues and Civil Unrest: 5 hours ago -
Chris Christie Wishes Death Upon Trump and Ramaswamy
Politicians & People: 6 hours ago -
University of Texas Instantly Shuts Down Anti Israel Protests
Education and Media: 8 hours ago
top topics
-
Krystalnacht on today's most elite Universities?
Social Issues and Civil Unrest: 5 hours ago, 8 flags -
Weinstein's conviction overturned
Mainstream News: 4 hours ago, 6 flags -
University of Texas Instantly Shuts Down Anti Israel Protests
Education and Media: 8 hours ago, 5 flags -
Supreme Court Oral Arguments 4.25.2024 - Are PRESIDENTS IMMUNE From Later Being Prosecuted.
Above Politics: 5 hours ago, 5 flags -
Massachusetts Drag Queen Leads Young Kids in Free Palestine Chant
Social Issues and Civil Unrest: 2 hours ago, 4 flags -
Meadows, Giuliani Among 11 Indicted in Arizona in Latest 2020 Election Subversion Case
Mainstream News: 2 hours ago, 4 flags -
Any one suspicious of fever promotions events, major investor Goldman Sachs card only.
The Gray Area: 10 hours ago, 2 flags -
Chris Christie Wishes Death Upon Trump and Ramaswamy
Politicians & People: 6 hours ago, 2 flags -
Gaza Terrorists Attack US Humanitarian Pier During Construction
Middle East Issues: 1 hours ago, 2 flags -
God's Righteousness is Greater than Our Wrath
Religion, Faith, And Theology: 15 hours ago, 1 flags
active topics
-
Candidate TRUMP Now Has Crazy Judge JUAN MERCHAN After Him - The Stormy Daniels Hush-Money Case.
Political Conspiracies • 776 • : Vermilion -
Gaza Terrorists Attack US Humanitarian Pier During Construction
Middle East Issues • 15 • : Irishhaf -
Massachusetts Drag Queen Leads Young Kids in Free Palestine Chant
Social Issues and Civil Unrest • 9 • : theatreboy -
Meadows, Giuliani Among 11 Indicted in Arizona in Latest 2020 Election Subversion Case
Mainstream News • 5 • : Disgusted123 -
God's Righteousness is Greater than Our Wrath
Religion, Faith, And Theology • 29 • : Topcraft -
2024 Pigeon Forge Rod Run - On the Strip (Video made for you)
Automotive Discussion • 4 • : TheInvisibleRedneck -
Chris Christie Wishes Death Upon Trump and Ramaswamy
Politicians & People • 18 • : FlyersFan -
Breaking Baltimore, ship brings down bridge, mass casualties
Other Current Events • 488 • : xuenchen -
Krystalnacht on today's most elite Universities?
Social Issues and Civil Unrest • 3 • : StudioNada -
University of Texas Instantly Shuts Down Anti Israel Protests
Education and Media • 178 • : theatreboy