"I woke in my bedroom at the Hall. I felt as if a horse had trampled all over me and I probably looked the same. I could feel that the Dark within me had been put back in its place. Good, I did not fancy keeping Cardew's company any time soon, nor did I fancy killing my father.
Speaking of which, he walked in just then. "You are awake then." He said, closing the door behind him. "How do you feel?"
"As bad as I look." I said. "Is something wrong?"
"We have somewhere to be, if you are strong enough."
"I am," I said getting up and taking his hand, "Is Will coming?"
"That is where we go first." With that we turned on the spot.
I watched as Will woke and turned his sleep filled eye on us. "Wake up, Will, wake up." I said.
"There is a ceremony we must attend." Father said. In an instant Will was dressed and standing in front of us. The three of us then moved to the window and Will and I stood on either side of my father.
"Isn't there anything we can do to stop it; they're freezing half the country." Will said bleakly as he looked out of the window. "Merriman, people will be dying."
My fathers shook his head slowly. "The Dark has its strongest power of all between now and the Twelfth Day." He said "This is their preparing. Theirs is a cold strength, and the winter feeds it. They mean to break the Circle forever, before it is too late for them. We shall all face a hard test soon. But not all things go according to their will. Much magic still flows untapped along the Old Ones' Ways, and we may find hope in a moment. Come."
The window ahead of us flew open, scattering snow in all directions. Ahead stretched a path that seemed to be made of air, but it was a solid thing. It was one of the Old Ways that stretch from place to place. Although some of them still exist, some have long since vanished from life and exist only as this one does. It was completely transparent and far below us I could make out the snow. I watched as my father took one long stride and cleared the window. Will and I then trotted along behind.
I realised something then. "Will, I have yet to properly introduced myself to you." I said. "Well, I did once, but I made the mistake of thinking you had already learned. Anyway, I'm Nimueh, Hawk's daughter."
"Hawk?" he asked, looking puzzled.
"Oh, sorry, I mean Merriman." I replied. "You know I am an Old One, but you have a right to know that I am also of the High magic, the Wild magic, the Old Powers and the Dark. That's why I had to leave you in the church. I can usually suppress the Dark in me, but when they attacked the church that part of me grew too powerful and it started attacking me from the inside. Father managed to stop it, but I am still slightly weak."
"That explains why you don't look so good." He said casually, but I had seen him glance at my father when I had mentioned that I was partly of the Dark. It was to be expected really.
Suddenly I felt that we were suspended in time. "Watch." My father said, and I felt his cloak swirl around us like the wings of a bird protect its young.
Everything seemed dark now that we had come away from the snow of our time. The trees around us were leafless as were a few hedges. There was a thin music playing, probably from old wooden flutes or pipes, with a slow drum beat. The whole thing sounded so melancholy that a felt my heart yearn at the sound.
Just then a procession of boys in tunics came into sight. They were all around my age, making them around 15 or 16, and had shoulder length hair. They all also wore the same expression that one might have when you have been told that something is serious, but you still can't help but be excited by it. The boys at the front of the procession were carrying branches of birch while those at the back were the origin of the music. Six boys in between carried a sort of brier of reeds with holly brows at each corner. At first I thought that it was empty, but I was quickly proven wrong as I looked closer. In the centre lay a wren on a bed of ivy.
"It is the Hunting of the Wren, performed every year at the solstice since men can remember." Father's voice came from the darkness. "But this is a particular year, and we may see more if all is well. Hope in your heart that we may see more."
As the procession moved along, it soon became clear that we were in fact travelling with them. I heard Will gasp as my gazed wondered slightly from the procession. I quickly turned back and what I saw surprised me. There was a woman now on the brier in the place of the wren. She was thin, with long golden hair and her eyes were closed so I couldn't see what colour her eyes were. She wore a long ice blue chiffon dress that graduated to white over an ice blue sleeveless dress. She seemed to be as fragile as the wren she has replaced. I looked at the woman and pictures came into my head.
"Mother…" I breathed.
"But you said she wasn't dead!" Will exclaimed.
"No more is she." Came my father's reply.
The procession continued and it seemed to come closer. I saw the woman more closely and I was certain that she was my mother. Then the procession started to move off into the distance and two boys stopped their playing and stood looking towards us.
"Will Stanton, beware the snow." One said.
"The Lady will return, but the Dark is rising." Said the second.
I stood looking at them curiously and then found myself speaking. "When the Dark is rising, Six shall turn it back,
Three from the Circle, three from the track,
Wood, Bronze, Iron, Water, Fire, Stone,
Five shall return and one go alone." I said and I saw that Will recognised it. But, his expression turned to one of surprise when I did not stop there. "Iron for the birthday, Bronze carried long,
Wood from the burning, Stone out of song,
Fire from the candle ring, Water from the thaw,
Six Signs, the Circle, and the Grail gone before."
Just then the wind rose out of nowhere. Snow was flung into our faces and I felt myself being dragged back. Panic rose in my chest and then I felt a hand in mine; my father. I could fell that Will was no longer with us and I heard him gasp as the cold hit his skin.
"Danger rises with the snow, Will – be wary of the snow!" My father shouted his voice deep and full of something that sounded like hope.
"Follow the Signs, beware the snow!" I shouted.
We were back in my room at the Hall. I was sitting up in my bed and my father was sat in a chair at my bedside. I looked around startled for a moment, before my gaze rested on him. I felt myself become calmer, but a part of me was angry because there was something that he hadn't told me.
"Will knows my mother?!" I exclaimed.
"Be calm, cariad, calm." He said, reaching to put his hand on my shoulder.
I moved away from him. "Not until you tell me." I said, staring furiously into his golden eyes.
He returned my gaze and then sighed as he realised that I wouldn't back down. "Your mother is one of three Guardians of the Lake; Mab, Ana and Vivien. They are all of the Wild magic, and as I told you she wanted nothing more than to leave it all behind. A few months after you were born, I went back to the lake to see if I could do anything. As it turned out, there was; if we wed then she would be free to choose what she wanted.
"So, we were wed it the summer solstice. She was free from her commitment and we could be together. She came to the Light and her High magic came through. Mab has never forgiven me for taking her sister from her. Ana on the other hand could see that Vivien was happy and is a calming force for Mab."
"And the rest." I said, my gaze still unwavering.
"Will met her on his first visit to the Hall on his birthday." He said. "He was still new and the Dark was up to its usual tricks. They wanted Will to give them access to the Hall and he opened the door to them. Your mother protected him, but it required so much energy that she could no longer remain here. What we saw today was her starting to regain her power."
"When can I see her?" I asked, the hard edge gone.
"Not for a while yet, cariad." He replied, getting up to leave.
"There is something you have failed to mention." I said.
"Oh, and what is that?" Father asked, raising his heavy brows.
"I know that legends are not always the complete truth, but there is one particular part that seems to stand out; my mother using magic on you." I said. "What happened?"
He sighed and sat back down. "It was when your mother was of the Dark." He said. "They of course wanted to use her to get rid of me and thus break the Circle. I knew what would happen before your mother came to my Lord's hall, but I had already fallen for her by then. I once again allowed my heart to rule my head and I let her lead me away. She used her new found powers to trap me in the Hawthorne tree.
"But, what legend fails to tell you is that she in fact came back and released me after she had shown her masters that her task was complete. You see, your mother was clever and brave, and even though she knew what the Dark could do to her should they find out she still did what she believed to be right." He concluded, finally telling me the full story.
"I should have know that there was more truth in it that I thought." I said, smiling at the thought of my mother disobeying the Rider and the look on his face when he realised what she had done.
"You should rest some more, regain your strength." My father said, standing once more.
"I'm stronger than you think." I said, turning my mind back to the present. "I can feel my power growing as each day passes."
"Sleep now." He said and I felt his familiar magic working on me to send me to sleep. He turned and left then, but in my head remained a picture of his expression when I had said my powers where growing; it was one of concern and worry.
