Heart of the Hill Read online

  The cousins stared at the clouds scurrying by, but they just looked like the normal aftermath of a storm.

  Holly took charge. “If Adam thinks this is evil, let’s get rid of it. Now, before the parents ask questions.”

  She ran to the garden shed, grabbed a rake and tossed a second to Owen.

  From their place in the stars, the Wise Ones looked down at the small blue planet they called Gaia and humans called Earth.

  “The storms grow fiercer, and the humans grow angrier and more warlike,” said Equus, the great White Horse. He shifted restlessly, snorting and shaking his head. His mane and tail glinted with silver sparks. “The Dark Being nears, and the humans react to her influence.”

  Ava, the beautiful hawk woman, spread a wing and touched his back. “The children will prevail. They have retrieved your talisman and my circlet. Now that they are rested, they will help Myrddin regain his staff. Once we all have retrieved our tools from their hiding places, we can subdue the Dark Being despite her might and fury.” She turned to Myrddin. “Go, retrieve your staff of power with young Adam. This task should be simple for the place of concealment is still honored by humans though most have forgotten why. Adam understands Earth Magic. He will walk the Labyrinth willingly and enter the Crystal Cave beneath the Tor.”

  “What will you do?” rumbled Myrddin. “Assemble our defenses?” He swished his cloak and its hidden colors danced like flames.

  Equus sighed. “You are right, Myrddin. Though war is not our nature, the time has come for defense. Ava and I will travel to the Place Beyond Morning and ready it for the Lady’s wakening and homecoming. We will use my talisman and Ava’s circlet to restore the Silver Citadel and the great Gates of Sunrise so we can rebalance the approaching Dark with more Light.”

  “Light and Dark, Dark and Light,” intoned Myrddin.“The balance will not be kept until we are linked again by the Lady’s necklace.”

  Ava sighed. “Ah…the Lady! It has been so long since we felt her presence. Myrddin, take out the crystal. Let us look upon her once more.”

  Myrddin removed a small crystal ball from his pocket and set it spinning in the air.

  Ava stretched out her wings and she, Equus and Myrddin formed a circle with the spinning crystal in the center.

  “A talisman to hone the mind,

  A circlet old to hold and bind,

  A staff to smite with hidden might,

  Beads to link, and hold the light,” they chanted.

  The flashes of light shimmered, formed and reformed as images from the past appeared in the crystal.

  Equus, Myrddin and Ava saw themselves, once again, inside the Silver Citadel.

  Tears brightened Ava’s eyes. “I remember this moment. Look at the Lady, so calm, so wise and so beautiful. Myrddin, may we hear as well as see?”

  Myrddin sprinkled stardust over the spinning globe.

  Their ears rang with the sound of the Dark Being’s furious final onslaught on the Place Beyond Morning.

  They stared as the tiny figures within the crystal surrendered the tools of power.

  “The Lady fingers her necklace,” murmured Ava.

  “She felt our pain.”

  They listened intently to the Lady’s voice.

  “Without these tools of power, the Dark Being will find victory brings nothing.”

  “Destroy these, and we are nothing,” replied the voice of Equus.

  “The Lady’s smile is heartbreaking,” said Ava.

  “Hush!” reproved Myrddin. The Wise Ones bent their heads again toward the crystal to catch the reply.

  “Conceal, not destroy!” came the Lady’s voice. “In a galaxy known as the Milky Way spins an almost unnoticed misty blue planet. On it are many places of great beauty, among them an island known as Angel Land named after the fair-haired race that inhabits it. Those people will honor your tools and keep them safe. The talisman, staff and circlet will be hidden in the center of Angel Land.”

  Myrddin shifted as he heard his own voice interrupt.

  “And the necklace, Lady?”

  “That I must guard. A smaller isle lies off the coast of Angel Land. It is home of a mage called Manannin, who keeps his isle hidden within a cloak of mist. I will hide there. Go swiftly and safely on the wings of dawn my friends. Conceal your magic tools in Angel Land, trust in the humans and leap for the stars to watch over them. The necklace and I must sleep behind Manannin’s Cloak. As long as the beads and I stay linked, so shall the magic link us all.”

  The scene faded.

  Myrddin reached out a hand. One finger gently stopped the spinning crystal. He replaced it in his pocket.

  Equus sighed. “Thank you, Myrddin. The Lady’s courage gives me hope and strength.”

  Ava looked worried. “But what has happened to her? The mist of Manannin must be thick and all enclosing or she would be awake to guide us. Even in sleep, the necklace should warn of the Dark Being’s approach.”

  Equus stirred uneasily.

  Myrddin’s brows met. “The Lady answers to no one. We must trust and believe. Traa dy liooar, remember? Time enough…Traa dy liooar.”

  “But IS there time enough?” Equus gave voice to the fear deep in their hearts.

  Ava pulled herself up and spread her wings. Her light blazed. “NOW is the time. We will ready the Place Beyond Morning and wake her.”

  “Then farewell friends,” said Myrddin gruffly. “Travel safely among sunbeams, for the Dark Being abhors the light. I will work alone on Gaia with the Magic Children.” He flung back his head and swung his cloak. “Adam, are you ready? I come!” he roared. His hair and beard blazed with inner fire.

  “Wait” Ava laid a wing tip on his arm. “Equus and I cannot leave Chantel and Owen without explanation.”Equus agreed. “They too can help. They must persuade other humans to keep the light.”

  Myrddin snorted. “Not easy.”

  “May light flicker always in human hearts.” The blessing voiced by Ava drifted through the heavens as the three Wise Ones wove among sunbeams toward Gaia.

  CHAPTER TWO

  THE CARES OF TOMORROW

  The children’s entire day was stormy.

  The thunderstorm showed no sign of abating, and Owen sulked when his father prevented him from boating on the floodwaters.

  Holly and Chantel organized a game of Scrabble, but the four cousins couldn’t agree.

  “That’s not fair. Those dumb two-letter things aren’t real words. We never use them in Canada,” protested Adam.

  “If everything is so great in Canada, why don’t you go back?” retorted Owen.

  “I will as soon as my idiot parents stop arguing and send for us,” Adam shouted. He left the table, knocking the board. The game pieces scattered.

  Everyone began yelling.

  “Can we bake cookies?” Chantel asked a little later.

  Even Adam brightened at that suggestion.

  Aunt Lynne shooed them out of the kitchen.

  “But, Mum… Chantel and Adam know how to make chocolate chip cookies,” said Owen.

  “Not today,” said Lynne as she rolled out pastry. “I’ve promised gooseberry pies for the museum’s fundraising dinner tonight. There’s plenty of biscuits in the tin if you want a snack.”

  “Not with chocolate,” muttered Owen.

  His mother rolled her eyes.

  The phone rang. Everyone jumped.

  Lynne held up her floury hands. “Could one of you catch that? It’s probably the hospital confirming Chantel’s appointment.”

  Owen and Adam dived for the phone. Their heads met with a clunk. They rubbed foreheads and glared at each other.

  Holly giggled and picked up the receiver. “White Horse Farm, Holly speaking.” Her face grew wary. “Oh, hello.” She turned uneasily to her mother, her hand over the mouthpiece. “It’s for Adam and Chantel,” she hissed. “It’s Aunt Celia, but she’s crying.”

  Adam pushed past Owen.

  Lynne swiftly wiped her hands on her ap
ron and took the receiver. She motioned Adam and Chantel to wait.

  “Goodness, Celia, what time is it in Canada? It’s only mid-morning here …three AM! Why can’t you sleep?”

  She listened for a moment, a frown gathering between her eyes. “Yes, Chantel and Adam are here.”

  Chantel and Adam stared at their aunt. There was an odd tone in her voice.

  Lynne turned away from them and dropped her voice. “Do you think that’s wise, Celia? Shouldn’t you get some rest and speak to them later … No … Of course I’m not keeping your children from you…”

  Chantel slipped her hand into Adam’s. They both squeezed hard, their faces anxious as they listened to the tinny sound of their mother’s voice leaking from the receiver. Was she upset, or angry, or both?

  “If you hold the line, Celia, I’ll let them take this in the office, so they can have some privacy.” Lynne handed the mobile phone to Adam and motioned them into the small farm office off the kitchen. She pulled out the desk chair for Chantel and passed her the office phone. “I’ll be outside if you need me,” she whispered and closed the door.

  Chantel picked up the receiver. “Hi, Mom.” Her voice trembled.

  “At last. Is Adam there too?”

  “I’m here.”

  “Are you both okay?”

  “We’re fine, but you’re not, are you?” Adam’s voice was tight and hard. “You and Dad have been fighting again, haven’t you?”

  “Don’t, Adam,” whispered Chantel. The knuckles of her hands were white as they clutched the receiver.

  “How did you guess?” There was a muffled sound as though their mother was swallowing a sob. “Adam … Chantel … I’m sorry … there is no easy way about this, so I’m just going to say it. You’re right … your father … he’s left. That is …we both still love you, but we don’t love each other anymore. We’re getting a divorce.”

  “Oh, nice,” said Adam. “Dad loves us so much he’s taken off, and you’re phoning to say you’re getting a divorce. So, what about me and Chantel?”

  “That’s all you can say? You’re only worried about you?” shrieked his mother.

  “What do you want us to say— yip-dee-doo? You think we didn’t guess about the divorce?” said Adam. “You think we don’t know why you packed us off to England?”

  “We wanted to make it easier for you,” said his mother. “We wanted to save you from the arguments.”

  “Yeah, right,” said Adam. “You’re thinking about us so much that not only are you splitting but —”

  Chantel’s soft voice interrupted them. “Where’s Daddy gone?”

  “He didn’t say, honey. He just left.”

  “Oh.” Tears spilled down Chantel’s cheeks.

  “I’m sorry, honey. I’m really sorry, but it doesn’t mean that we don’t love you.” There was a sob and her mother’s voice choked up. “I … I know your father will call you.”

  “Who cares?” stormed Adam. “We don’t. You did nothing but yell at us when we were home, then you shipped us off to another country, so why should we care? Neither of you care about us, and we don’t care about you.” He hurled the mobile phone across the room and stormed out of the office, slamming the door.

  “Adam, Adam.”

  “There’s only me,” said Chantel. Her voice was almost a whisper.

  “I’m so sorry, Chantel. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’ll call again, honey.” The line hummed in Chantel’s ear as her mother’s voice broke and she rang off.

  As emotional storms raged through the Maxwell household, the Dark Being stormed across the Milky Way and rent her fury on yet another small star. Nothing was hidden there.

  “The Wise Ones have concealed the tools of power well,” she raged, “I WILL find them.”

  She knew she was finally in the right galaxy for she could sense their presence — a tingling and a brightness in the air. She pulled the darkness closer, to shield her and her supporters from the hated light, but suddenly she felt remnants of the Wise Ones’ thoughts winging through the air … a feeling of hope and purpose. It was as though the Wise Ones were near, were aware of her movements and were outwitting her. How could that be?

  The Dark Being sent a roar of anger boiling across the universe. “I hear you, Wise Ones … You shall not escape me this time.” She directed her cohorts to the other stars and planets around her. “Go! Seek them!”

  Her second-in-command, Zorianna, sped toward Gaia.

  Holly and Owen watched as Adam slammed the office door and pushed past them. He headed up the stairs, his face so white the freckles stood out in blotches.

  “Adam?” Owen called.

  Adam kept on going.

  Owen’s mother put her hand on Owen’s shoulder.

  “Let him be. He needs time alone. You can comfort him later on.”

  Owen leaned against his mother, and she gave him a quick hug, leaving traces of flour on his cheek.

  “What about Chantel?” asked Holly.

  “We’ll give her a minute. She may still be on the phone with her mother,” said Lynne.

  Holly crept over to the door and listened.

  “Holly!” Lynne protested.

  “No one’s talking, Mum, but Chantel’s crying.”

  Lynne looked from her daughter to the closed door and sighed. She walked over, knocked lightly and opened the door.

  Chantel huddled in the office chair, her face hidden in her hands, her body shaking with sobs.

  “Oh, you poor little thing.” Lynne swept Chantel into her arms.

  Holly closed the door gently.

  Owen perched on the kitchen windowsill, his heels tapping the radiator on the wall. “So they’ve decided then. Aunt Celia and Uncle Brent are divorcing?”

  Holly nodded. “It looks like it.”

  “What about Adam and Chantel?”

  Holly shrugged.

  Adam crouched on the bottom bunk bed and pounded his pillow again and again. “I hate them, I hate them, I hate them.” He collapsed on the mattress and pulled the duvet over his body so not even his head was exposed. He was as cold as ice—frozen with fear. What was going to happen to him and Chantel?

  Adam … Adam … ADAM. The voice in his head grew louder and more insistent.

  Adam ignored it.

  ADAM! This time the voice roared though his whole being, making his body tingle.

  GO AWAY! Adam roared back in his mind.

  The tingling grew stronger. Adam … It is I…Myrddin.

  Don’t you get it? I don’t care. Adam pulled the duvet even more tightly around his head. Go away! I don’t want to mindspeak.

  A gentle warmth washed over his body, and he felt the presence not only of Myrddin, but the fleeting touch of Ava’s wing on his forehead and the soft breath of a horse by his ear. Despite his anger and fear, the warmth relaxed him. Wise Ones, please go away. I can’t help you now. Bad things are happening.

  He felt another touch of Ava’s wings. We understand, Adam. We feel your pain. But you are not the only human in despair. Many bad things are happening on Gaia. The Dark Being is close, and darkness stirs and thickens.

  Adam stirred. You mean if the Dark Being goes away everything will be all right? There was a pause. He slumped, sensing the answer before the Wise Ones spoke. I know … You can’t fix Mom and Dad. You can’t make them stop fighting. No one can.

  You are correct, Adam. Myrddin sighed. We cannot interfere between humans. We offer only the comfort of Light. We work with Old Magic and with those who willingly help, like you and the other Magic Children. We are with you, Adam. Use our strength. Our presence is around you. Light will ease your heartpain.

  The sense of comfort and warmth helped melt the ice in his body. Adam buried his face in his pillow and cried hot tears. The tears drained him, but somehow their falling eased his pain. The Wise Ones stayed with him, soothing him, and when at last he fell into exhausted sleep, Myrddin was waiting in his dream.

  Myrddin’s cloak enfolded
Adam’s dreamself and swept him into the sky. Adam welcomed the distraction. Unlike his parents, Myrddin needed him, and Adam liked that. He watched the small village of Uffington fall away below and with it all his problems. First a feeling of great speed and a rushing of wind, then he and Myrddin touched down on an unfamiliar hilltop.

  Adam looked across a valley toward a small city bathed in sunlight. It huddled around the base of a tower-topped hill.

  “Hey, that’s Glastonbury Tor,” said Adam. “B… but where did the city come from?” He stared down at the farmlands in the valley, flat fields crisscrossed with roads, ditches and dikes. “What happened to the lake?”

  Myrddin’s eyebrows raised. “You have traveled this way before?”

  “Yes … I mean no … I mean … I had a nightmare and saw the Tor, only it was in the middle of a lake … and a warrior woman spoke to me from the tower.”

  “Vivienne!” said Myrddin in disgust. “Huh.” He struck the ground with his walking stick.

  “Yes, that’s her name. Who is she? Is she bad news?” asked Adam.

  Myrddin gave a bark of laughter. “Bad news? I suppose she is. Centuries ago she was my apprentice—until the lust for power overcame her, and she was imprisoned in the Tor.” He pointed with his stick to the valley. “Your dream showed the Tor’s past, when a marshy lake filled the valley. People lived on small islands, and the Tor, the biggest island, was named Avalon.”

  “Avalon!” said Adam eagerly. “As in King Arthur and the Isle of Avalon?”

  Myrddin nodded slowly. “Yes, Glastonbury Tor is the Avalon of old. But King Arthur is different. Arthur was first Arto, a Magic Child like you. But memories of other Magic Children were woven into his story, so the tales of King Arthur are not about one person, but several.”

  Adam’s face fell. “King Arthur wasn’t real … what a crock!”

  Myrddin gave a deep chuckle. “Arto was real, and a feisty young Celt he was. But the stories came later. They grew in the way that stories do.” He laughed again and stretched his arms to the sky. “Even my role with Arto was misunderstood.”

  “Your role, Myrddin? You were with Arthur … I mean Arto?” gabbled Adam. “Hey, I get it! You’re Merlin, aren’t you? You’re King Arthur’s magician!”