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  “The next stop will be Sheffield, then Leeds, Nottingham and so on. Messengers have been sent to the boys and their families; they will all be expecting you.”

  “And when we get to Keswick? What happens then?”

  Erasmus shook his head and smirked.

  “You will have to ask Merlin. When you see him.”

  “Sir!”

  “Rhys, these are bad times in the kingdom. Mordred is moving to overthrow the king and throw England into a dark age ruled by evil magic and things that go bump in the night. If he succeeds, it will mean the end of our lives, and of our country, as we know it. He has to be stopped, but only Merlin the Magician will know how that can be done. Be prepared when you meet him, Rhys. He is well known for using a man’s mind against him in order to bring about his own agendas.”

  Rhys trembled suddenly at the warning and remained silent for a long time. Then just as suddenly, he turned to Erasmus and spoke.

  “Well, that is that then, sir!”

  “Yes, Rhys. Indeed that is that. Get to bed, boy. You have adventures before you that only a minstrel could compile in tales and songs. And when you return, not even your grandfather, Anlawdd, will ever call you BOY again.”

  Rhys sighed and stood up from the chair. He gazed into the fireplace at the dying embers glowing red and hot. Rhys smiled and his cheeks reddened. Erasmus put his arm around the boy and led him through the chamber doors.

  “Go to bed, sir. You need a good night’s sleep now.”

  Rhys retired to his privy chamber and as he donned a night shirt and climbed onto the high feather mattress, he thought of home and of Avalon, Erasmus and Camelot and before he drifted into sleep, all his thoughts merged into one bright colorful image. The face of his love, her reflection shimmering on the water’s surface like an image in a clear silver mirror.

  Naida.

  Chapter Seven

  Sheffield, Yorkshire, England

  “Gawain, come here immediately,” a booming voice called through the stable yard.

  “Coming, Father!”

  Gawain handed the hammer to the farrier and took the gloves from his hands immediately.

  “Finish shoeing these five. I’ll be right back,” he said to the man.

  “Yes, sir.”

  When he stepped into the house, there was a strange silence. Gawain wondered where everyone was and suddenly realized that they must all be in the drawing room waiting for him. A feeling of dread crept over him.

  What was it now? he thought to himself, unable to stifle the groan that rose in his throat.

  When he stepped into the room, he knew that his suspicions had been correct. Every member of his family was seated there, waiting for him.

  Oh, dear gods, it must be very bad news, he thought.

  ***

  When Rhys launched the boat into the sea beneath the castle at Avalon, the moon was still in the sky and shining brightly, reflecting over the water in long streams of light.

  His birthday would be in a few days’ time; he would be a man of eighteen years and no moon would be shining on that night. He moved the oars swiftly and arrived on the mainland in a short time, heading directly to the glen as soon as he could secure the little boat to a tree. When he arrived at the pool, he did not know what to do next. He sat by the edge and rippled the still water with his right index finger. A little light sparked among the ripples as they died away at the ponds edges.

  He stopped and thought for a moment, then put his entire hand into the water and called her name three times softly.

  “Naida, Naida, Naida! Wake up and come to me, please.”

  There was no response, but the light flickered again as the ripples met the pond’s edges. Rhys ran his hand in the pool again and waited for the ripples to exhaust themselves once more. There was no response.

  He sighed heavily and got to his feet to leave. At the edge of the glen, he pushed aside the hanging branches that hid the entrance to the magical glade when he heard a voice call out.

  “Rhys! Where are you going?”

  He breathed a tremendous sigh at the sound of Naida’s voice and turned to face the pool.

  “Nowhere, my dear; somehow I knew you would come.”

  He quickly settled on his rock and gazed at her face in the water.

  “ It is dark there in Exmoor; what time of day is it?”

  “About two hours before sunrise.”

  “What is the matter? Why are you here so early, Rhys?”

  “My uncle informed me yesterday that I am to leave Avalon for Camelot this morning on the king’s business.”

  “This is rather sudden, my love, but it also sounds very important.”

  Rhys smiled at her response. It was so endearing how she could turn this tragedy of their separation into a beam of light and encouragement.

  “Now that we have spoken about it, I am resolved to the idea.”

  She smiled at him as she stepped out from behind the waterfall and onto the grass.

  “Where shall we go from here then, Rhys?” she asked tentatively, walking toward him and taking her usual seat beside him.

  “Erasmus has promised that he will also search for more information while I am away.”

  “Thank you, Rhys. I am sure he will help.”

  “How can I see you while I am not in Avalon?”

  “It is difficult, but if you have a message possibly Erasmus could bring it here?”

  “He could as I have told him where to find this glen.”

  “Good, then let him bring your letters to me here and he can return the next day for my responses.”

  “I shall miss you, my love. You know you are my love, don’t you?” he asked, looking deeply into her eyes.

  “Yes, dear Rhys. I shall miss you too, for you are also my love. If you should ever really need me, find a pond or lake or gather water into a vessel under the moonlight and speak my name three times as you did tonight; perhaps you will be able to summon me as you did before.”

  She stood up and kissed him lightly on each cheek before turning and walking back toward her gate behind the falls. She turned to wave goodbye then she disappeared behind the water and Rhys could see her no more. She did not want him to see the tears fall from her almond shaped eyes. Silently, he returned to Avalon.

  Avalon

  At sunrise, Rhys closed the latch on his travelling trunk and allowed the chamberlains to take it down the stairs and into the stable yard. A wagon was being packed with his belongings as well as supplies for the journey. They would leave after breakfast in the main hall with his aunt and the entire court. Rhys went to Morgana’s rooms and knocked tentatively on her door.

  “Come in, Rhys, I have been expecting you,” she called out.

  “Good morning, Aunt,” he greeted her. “Did you sleep well?”

  “I did, and you?”

  “I was anxious, but managed a fair sleep.”

  “Would you be so kind as to escort me in to breakfast?”

  “I would be honored, my lady,” Rhys replied.

  That morning, he ate seated at the royal table on the dining room’s raised dais, at Morgana’s right hand.

  ***

  “I’m not going, Mother. They cannot make me leave,” Nottingham said. “When I am gone, who will take care of you and the others and the estate?”

  “The king has decreed it, Owen. You must go with Rhys of Gascogne when he comes for you; the fate of our country depends on it.”

  “It is not right. King Arthur has kept my father abroad in Europe for six years against the Romans. We cannot even remember when last we heard from him. Meanwhile, his land, the richest lands in all England, is overrun with outlaws and cutthroats because we have not the men to patrol the county properly; soon our tenants will abandon us. If I leave, then what little has remained of his legacy will be lost as well.”

  “Owen,” his mother said, taking his face in her hands, “we will be fine. My brothers are on their way from Grantham as we speak. It
is obvious that Rhys will be arriving for you first.”

  “I won’t go, Mother!”

  “Yes, Owen. You will.”

  ***

  Normally, they would not have taken so much with them, but Morgana had many gifts to send to Kenilwurt for her mother’s relatives. There were barrels of ale, cages of fowl, earthen pots, sacks and wooden chests. Packed neatly on the cart were various other kinds of packages and containers of goods which Rhys could not identify. Behind the cart waddled four very pregnant cows, three brown and one white. A stable hand brought Emrys and a beautiful chestnut mare that he did not recognize and fastened them to the back of the cart alongside the cattle. The boy turned to Rhys and said, “For your father, sir. From the Three Sisters.” He bowed and turned. Rhys bowed his head in return.

  Rhys and Erasmus kicked their horses firmly and ambled out of the stable yard. As they approached the courtyard barbican, a loud cheering went up from the castle ramparts. Rhys looked up and saw the sisters surrounded by the members of the court waving and cheering for him. He reined in Broderick and turned around to face them. He removed his riding hat and bowed to them all from his saddle before spinning his horse around and galloping off to catch up with Erasmus.

  Chapter Eight

  Earth

  The horses and wagons fared well on the boat ride across the channel and when everything had been unloaded on the docks at Glastonbury without incident, there had been no dispute from the men to start the journey immediately. Erasmus and Rhys rode ahead of the wagons and the outriders for most of the way, pausing only briefly for a light lunch. At the foot of the tor, they parted ways with the luggage train.

  “You are to go on ahead to Gloucester,” Erasmus told the foreman. “We will meet you there in four days and continue afterwards to Kenilwurt.”

  “Aye,” the man replied, and moved his lumbering train of animals and goods down the dusty road.

  Rhys found it peculiar that they were still gazing at the horizon as the wagons disappeared from sight. He turned to look at Erasmus. The elder man seemed to be in deep reflection as he watched them vanish over a distant hill.

  “Sir,” Rhys started. “Is everything alright?”

  “Tell me Rhys,” he replied turning to look at the boy, “do you think everything is alright?”

  Rhys was taken aback by the question. He was used to getting straight answers from his valet. Riddles and questioning replies were a new trait that had developed over the past few days. Erasmus continued before Rhys could shake the feeling of being baffled.

  “I have been with you ever since you arrived at Avalon, Rhys. Since that day you have been in my care. I have done everything that was expected of me during that time, rather diligently I might add, and yet here we are on the road to Camelot where you will be knighted by the King and we are both so unprepared. I’ve failed you, my boy, and this gives me much to be unhappy about.”

  “My dear man, you have done nothing to be ashamed of,” Rhys said.

  He patted Erasmus’ knee beside him as he said it, causing their horses to shuffle around a little. The burst of skittishness from the animals brought a smile to the men’s faces.

  “Had you known that this was where our road was taking us, I’m certain you would have prepared me for it. In my estimation, you have done an excellent job with me in the time that we have had. I may never have worn much more armor in my life than boiled leather but I am surely not the unskilled, rough country boy that came to you those years ago. I’ve learned many things in my time with you, Eramus, all of which have been for my own betterment and I am very grateful for it. Had I remained all this time at Kenilwurt, I may not have learned much more than a thimbleful about the world outside of Worwick’s Shire. Now here I am, that country boy who is about to be knighted by the greatest king the world has ever known. Arthur!”

  The excitement had risen inside Rhys so quickly that it startled Erasmus. He had never seen that much raw emotion spill from the boy before.

  “Well, Rhys, while I appreciate your kind words and enthusiasm, There are about five years' worth of lessons which I must somehow miraculously supply to you during a three-day ride. I suggest that we better get going.”

  “Do you think I will be ready, Erasmus? You know, to stand before the King, before we arrive at Camelot?”

  “Well,” the older man started, “there is one thing which I am eternally grateful for now that we find ourselves at this junction. It is that every knight began his journey as a squire regardless of his social status, family name or wealth. It is the common landing ground of every boy and man who would serve his king in combat. You may not ride the horse if you cannot first tend to it and you may not wear the armor if you have not first cleaned it. It is a rite of passage.”

  “I understand that, sir, but how does this give you comfort?”

  “Because you, Rhys, have proven yourself to be a rather marvelous squire! Let’s begin!”

  ***

  Lancashire County, England

  Thomas of Manchester was seated atop his favorite destrier when he saw the king’s standard crest the top of the hill. Word had come from Leeds that ‘The Gathering’ had had been ordered and the boys were to ready themselves for the arrival of Rhys of Gascogne. When the three men reined in their horses a few feet from him, Thomas dismounted and bowed low to them. Even the lowliest servant sent on King Arthur’s business deserved the proper respect.

  “Thomas of Manchester, the king has decreed that the Sons will gather and go into the council of Merlin the Magician at Keswick immediately. Here are your orders; prepare yourself for the king’s representative and to depart your home for the north,” the man announced without even dismounting.

  “Gratitude. Have the others been advised?”

  “We still have Liverpool and Kendal.”

  “Godspeed then,” Thomas wished them, bowing again as they turned and rode away.

  ***

  Caerleon, England

  Three days later, Rhys was a knight. He stood in the great hall at Camelot surrounded by Arthur’s remaining men and the lords and ladies of the land who were serving the royal family at court.

  Erasmus had dressed him in his most elaborate clothes and then placed the shiny pieces of armor one by one on his body. He ached all over still from the rigorous exercises the monks at Glastonbury had put him through in the past three days and the armor felt like sheets of lead being bolted to his body.

  Rhys swayed under the weight for a moment and Erasmus caught him.

  “Be strong, boy. You have come so far. You only have a few more steps to take to get there.”

  The man’s words strengthened him and he took a deep breath, shifted his weight and stood firmly with his feet shoulder width apart; just as Erasmus had instructed him. He was surprised to feel how much more bearable the weight of the metal was in that stance.

  “Erasmus?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I’ve been noticing a strange man around the castle at Avalon these past weeks, but I didn’t think much of it until I was sure I saw him again at the monastery. He was watching us exercising in the courtyard from the high corridor of the dormitories.

  “For the first time, I got a good look at him, but I could not see any features of a face beneath his cloak. What I was sure of though, is that he followed me one night through the castle at Avalon. I wondered if you know this man since the first time I noticed him was when he followed you from the dining hall after luncheon one day.”

  “No face you say?”

  “Not ‘no’ face, Erasmus. That would be silly. His face is always obscured by the hood of his cloak and usually he is too far away to really get a good look at.”

  “I am not aware of any such man, Rhys. I can only advise that you refrain from peering into the face of creatures that prefer to remain faceless; you may not like what you eventually see.”

  Rhys scoffed at the man’s words, dismissing them for superstitious nonsense. As soon as he did t
hat, Erasmus grabbed him by both shoulders and gave him a stiff shake.

  “There are many legions of evil abroad in England today, Rhys. Do not think that they do not know that Arthur seeks to destroy them. Instead, be careful that they do not destroy his instrument… you.”

  ***

  Leeds, Yorkshire, England

  John sat perched on the highest point of the church in the middle of the town. He loved sitting up there, wishing he could fly like the many pigeons and crows that nested near the steeple and belfry.

  Leeds had always been a special place for him, even when he was forced to spend whole seasons out in the countryside at Otley. There were only cattle at Otley and John hated cattle. The look of them, the smell of them, the sound of them. It was all unbearable.

  Today, he wasn’t thinking of how much he hated Otley and cattle. Today, he was thinking of how much he loved Leeds and would miss her, but also of how it made him feel to defend her and save her; their country as well. After he had been knighted, his father had told him briefly of the possibility that he may be called to a gathering of the Sons one day. Then when he had sailed to the Shetland outpost with the last of Arthur’s men to defend the north against Norse invaders, he had told his son that if anything were to happen in England, then Arthur would have no choice but to call them to assemble.

  “Be ready, John, and do not disobey the commands of your king when they come.”

  ***

  Caerleon, England

  The next morning, Richard, Rhys and Erasmus said their goodbyes, mounted their horses and rode out of the gates of Camelot. Richard waved briefly to his younger brother, John, and his father, Caradoc. Rhys did the same before turning to look forward and sinking into a sullen mood.