Disclaimer: As Chapter One; so please, for the love of God, do not make me keep writing it out people!
Cataractonium is the Roman name for Catterick in North Yorkshire as per the Roman Britain map site.
WARNING: BAD LANGUAGE, VIOLENCE AND SOME SEXUAL REFERENCES (though not too graphic) SO READ AT YOUR OWN PERIL.
All reviews, and constructive criticism, gratefully received – but no flaming please; and I will try to update regularly.
'Thoughts'
"Speech"
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ELEMENTS
Chapter Four – Cataractonium
They finally approached the town, Ember had been a long way ahead for some time, but now they had caught her up – she and her horse were motionless on the outskirts of the town.
As Arthur and Dagonet drew level they saw, if it were possible, that she was even paler than before "We are too late." She murmured.
Before them a pall of smoke rose and the stench of death filled the air. She turned silver/grey eyes to the two knights "Great evil has been done this day…great evil. A debt has to be repaid." She spurred her horse forward and the knights had trouble keeping up.
"The cobra is about to strike…" Lancelot muttered to Bors.
"Can you blame her though?" the other replied looking at the smoke.
As they reached the village they could see men, women and children dead and dying around them; but before they could do much the Saxons and a few Romans flew at them. It was only a skirmish and it was not long before the knights had them turned and fleeing; Arthur watched in fascinated dismay as she used her swords and bow with devastating accuracy – even more than Tristan.
She batted not an eyelid as blood flew; and she did not even seem breathless at the end, when dead bodies littered the ground around her.
The scout eyed her with a new respect, as the other knights could only look on open-mouthed.
When finally it was done and the enemy thoroughly routed, Dagonet and Ember went to help the fallen of the townspeople where they could.
Though in Ember's case this meant killing those too far gone to aid. Lancelot ran to her "In the name of the Gods woman, what are you doing? We are here to help these people, not bloody finish them off!"
"There is naught to be done for these, I will not let them suffer for your sensibilities knight." she murmured softly and calmly; she did not break his gaze as she ran an elderly man through, who had a terrible belly wound and was begging for help.
"Ye Gods, but you are dark!" he flung himself away and stalked to Arthur "Where is she better than the sodding Saxons!"
"Could he be saved?" Arthur asked simply.
"I…I am not sure…"
"Then what could she do? Look" he pointed to where she knelt with a young woman cradling her dead baby "that girl can obviously be saved, she aids her. But the infant is lost, yet see how she comforts the maid."
Ember leant low over the grieving mother, muttering – suddenly the young woman relinquished the corpse and her weeping slowed.
The two men walked to her "what did you say?" Arthur asked.
"I told her her babe was in a better place now, that she will see her son one day."
"Can she be helped?"
"Aye the sword killed the child, but did not go right through to the mother. She feigned death and they left her be."
"Any others?"
"Mayhap, I know not for sure. I will ask Dagonet." She did not look at Lancelot the whole time; then glided away to the large knight.
"Dagonet, I feel not many more are with us. Am I correct?"
He was cradling a dying little girl of possibly three years. His anguish was palpable "There is naught I can do for her, she pains Ember…."
The woman did not answer but knelt to the child with a placid smile "Hello, I am Ember." She held up a strange stone with a Celtic symbol on it "Do you like my stone?"
The little girl grimaced in pain but nodded. "Hold it for me, and I will ease your suffering little one." She held her hand over the little girl's chest and muttered some words. Slowly the child smiled, her eyes dimmed and finally the stone dropped to the ground from her limp little hand. "She is at peace Dagonet. Grieve not, she walks with those she loves now."
She rose and walked away; the knight remained on his knees watching her, cradling the dead child yet. Her voice had neither held sadness nor pity, it had neither hitched nor broke. Yet she had shown immense compassion for the child.
She heard a faint cry from a far building and went to it, lying under its mother was a baby of no more than 8 months weeping loudly. She stooped and picked it up "Well, well, you live and yet you should have perished." She looked to its mother "it seems she sacrificed much for you."
She turned to walk back to the knights………just then a yell went up and a Saxon came screaming from the undergrowth to the side of her.
All the knights watched in horror as she turned and held up her hand...the man burst into flames even as he ran, she turned and walked away seemingly oblivious to his pained screams.
"There, there little one – all is well." She cooed to the child. "Hold him." She said to Dagonet. She turned to the town "element of fire seal the fate of the enemy of these people, element of wind fan the flames of their own destruction, element of water douse the fires that rage amongst the innocents, element of earth swallow their bodies that are as plentiful as flowers in summer, yet leave our enemy's corpses for the crows to fill their bellies."
The knights watched, dumbstruck, as it began to rain lightly all over the town putting out the fires the Saxons had set, yet they definitely heard the screams of the enemy and smelt burning flesh close by. The ground shook and the bodies of the townspeople were swallowed up where they lay, leaving only the corpses of the Saxons and Romans. Within minutes all was as she'd asked and was quiet again; Ember dipped in respect "Thank you elements of mine and my sisters; once again you aid me in my quest."
She turned to Arthur "There is naught more to be done here, we should return." She turned to Dagonet and held out her arms "I will take her."
"What will you call her?" Galahad asked when he could finally speak again.
"She is named already, it is Summer."
"Will she die?"
"Nay, she will grow to be big and strong and a credit to the mother who died to save her."
"What will you do with her?"
"Take her to Merlin, he will know." She smiled at the young knight "Merlin always knows, even when I do not."
For a moment Arthur was motionless as Merlin's words came back to him 'but she will have to carry out a task for destiny – I hope she will acquiesce…..' He had a horrible idea what destiny had in store for the woman.
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They loaded up the handful of survivors; one old man, two women, a little boy of about 4 and the baby. The others rode in a wagon and Ember carried Summer with her, strapped to her chest with linen.
After a while the baby began to howl and Ember gave her a strip of jerky to gum on "she is teething."
"You are good with her." Galahad smiled.
"Nay, but I have dealt with little ones in my village; not least my younger sisters."
"Younger? I thought you were all the same age."
"All? Nay, my mother would have split in two with four babes within her." She smiled "Rain and I were eldest, then Storm and then Eartha."
"Was there a large gap?"
"Nay, a year between Rain and I, then three between I and Storm and just shy of four between I and Eartha. Even so, Mama made me help with them."
"Did you marry?"
"Oh nay" she shook her head earnestly "my grandfather decreed we none of us could marry. We were the earthbound connection to the elements, we could not be distracted by husbands and children."
"But things are different now."
"Aye, mayhap – but I am still me. I am still who some revile." She glanced at Lancelot.
Galahad shook his head "Ignore him, he is an idiot."
She smiled "You are a good man."
"They think I am naught but a child."
"Aye, well we are all children under the Heavens."
They rode on; Galahad chatting about this and that, whilst she remained silent and watchful beside him.
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They set camp for the night and once again she perched on a rock. Dagonet came over to tend the sick woman beside her "she fares badly."
"She pines for those she lost."
"Thank you."
Calm eyes rose to him from the fire into which she'd been staring "You are welcome, but why?"
"For the…..child; the little girl." His voice hitched.
"Ah, you grieve for her?"
"I cannot stand cruelty to women or children; you helped her as she suffered."
"I could not save her."
"Nay I know. But still you aided her at the end, she…..she died with a smile on her face."
"All children should smile, even at the moment of death." There was such a…….feeling about her at that moment that Dagonet could only nod and turn to walk away.
"Dagonet?" he looked back. "Lucan will be much to you; one day he will call you father."
The large knight blanched and looked to Galahad "Did you mention the boy?"
"Nay Dag, why would I?"
"Then how knows she of him?"
"Ember is a law unto herself my friend, but there is no malice in her where we are concerned." The young knight smiled.
"You like her?"
"Aye I do. She is so sad."
"She speaks the same of you." At his questioning look Dag went on to tell the younger knight all what had transpired at the round table that night.
"Well, indeed it is strange that she should see us so well without knowing us – but then she is a strange one, there is no doubt. But this day has only reinforced my feeling about her, and so has your tale; she could have done us great harm if she had a mind to and yet she did not."
"Nay, that is true."
"Aye, and my Van likes her too – gets to call her Em and everything." Bors grinned as he walked over "and she gave me only good news about my girl."
"Aye Bors and yet I think she would tell ill news just as easily." Galahad mused.
"Oh you are right there Gal – look at what she said to Gawain…." As they continued to discuss the strange woman, Gawain was indeed asking her about her comment.
"Ember, may I sit?" He indicated a patch of ground next to her.
"Aye, you are free man Gawain and these woods belong to us all – I could not stop you."
The knight smiled "I have a fair idea you could if had a mind to, especially after what I witnessed this day."
"Aye, and now you all trust me even less than before, like me not at all." She sighed "Yet there was naught different I could do."
"Nay, we are just a little wary and Galahad likes you well enough. Everyone is merely……..intrigued." he smiled.
"Lancelot is neither wary nor intrigued."
"Lancelot is an idiot sometimes." He leant forward slightly "he is only jealous of a better fighter, for in truth you are even more deadly that Tristan." There was a snort of derision from the scout, but Gawain ignored it.
"I doubt you are correct, but thank you for the kind words none the less."
He cleared his throat "Ember?"
Cool grey eyes regarded him "you wish to know what I meant in detail about you not returning to Sarmatia?"
"Aye, if you do not mind."
"You would have died, and died hard. The Hun will over-run your lands, one day Sarmatia will be no more and you would rot on a battlefield; all you love will die or are already dead. Here you will have a good life, survive well in battle and be happy."
"You do not believe in breaking bad news gently do you?" Lancelot ambled up and arched an eyebrow.
"Nay, what would be the point? He asked a question and I answered to the best of my knowledge – good or bad, information is always useful."
"Merlin said you would not always do what destiny bid you?"
"I had a vision about my village and tried to stop the destruction – I failed."
"But you had your revenge?"
"Aye, but are you saying you would not if it were your loved ones slaughtered so?"
"Nay but I would not burn them, bury them, drown them or whatever it was you did to that legion."
"I do not use the elements often, I fight my own battles."
"Are you saying you killed an entire legion with your swords and by yourself?"
"Nay, I used the elements, but I do not use them thus often." She sighed "you neither like nor trust me Lancelot – I understand. I am different, I make people uncomfortable. The only ones who understood were my sisters and they are no more – I live my life alone and welcome the peace and solitude." She rose and moved further away into the darkness; her voice had been calm, accepting and understanding – it had torn at more than one knight there.
Galahad strode over and shoved the dark knight "You are naught but a bully!" he raged "She did naught to you; she was not even speaking to you!"
"I a bully! I am not the one that could burn us alive, bury us with a word, drown us with a thought or blow us to Hades on a whim!" Lancelot bit back as he squared up to the younger knight.
Dagonet stepped between them "enough, enough – methinks she would not wish this. But do well to remember Lancelot you only breathe now because the lady spent not only her coin, but her own life's blood to bring us back. If for naught else she deserves your respect."
"Do not tell me you like her also Dag!" Lancelot was incredulous.
"I have naught good reason not to yet."
"What of this day! What of all she did!"
"Aye and you never answered her question; in the same spot would you have not done the same to protect those you love?"
"She did not know them!"
"Nay she did not – but to her they were innocents, they deserved her protection and her retribution in their name. I know we each would have done the same in her position."
"Then you know more than I, for I do not believe I could slaughter so."
"Nay, Lancelot for we have not done the same in Rome's name these past 15 years, have we?" Tristan spoke from the fire.
"That was different! We had orders!"
"Oh, I see so slaughtering on orders, is more acceptable than slaughtering to save and avenge the innocents in the name of justice?"
"I cannot believe you are being so deliberately dense Galahad!" Lancelot rounded on him.
Arthur rolled his eyes as Bors rubbed a hand over his face. Dagonet hung onto Lancelot and Gawain to his brother.
"I am not the one being so bloody judgemental!"
"And I think she has sodding bewitched you!"
"Enough!" a quiet, but firm voice sounded and they all turned as one to see Ember stood once more in the clearing. "You are brothers all, you should not fight so, and not over one such as I." she sighed "I am what I am, naught can change it. Leave him, if he wishes to hate me there is naught any can do about it and I am well used to such treatment."
She glanced at those who had defended her "but thank you to you for trying to support me." Dagonet dipped his head and Galahad tried to smile, but his eyes were still blazing – she went forward with a smile and laid a gentle hand on his chest "even one with such a good heart cannot change the word Galahad; be content with your little corner." The young knight felt suddenly peaceful and smiled at her.
She walked to the edge of the clearing and looked up at the sky "There is a storm coming Dagonet."
He remembered Galahad saying how she had known it was him without even turning and he nodded. "Aye, I hear the thunder." He paused "Can you not stop it?"
"Nay," she shook her head "this one will go beyond even my powers to halt." She looked back at him and the others "I will do my best to protect you, but evil comes with it."
The large knight could not resist a shudder at her softly spoken words, even has he laid a gentle hand on her shoulder in comradeship. He heard the quiet sigh as she reached up and patted it "life is never easy Dagonet, it is never easy."