Chapter 3 -- The Thrill of the Hunt

"It's really rather exciting, isn't it?" Bridgit asked, leaning forward to talk to Nigel in the front seat of the jeep.

Nigel glanced back at her with a smile. "Well, I'm not so sure that I'd go so far as to call it exciting..."

Sydney laughed. "Yeah, no one's shooting at us."

Nigel laughed and nodded. "But, it certainly is nice."

"Just nice?" Bridgit shook her head in disgust. "Look around you, Nigel Bailey. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, we are driving through a forest as old as time! It's not nice. It is perfect." She ruffled Nigel's hair and reclined in the back of the jeep with a yawn.

Nigel shook his head and picked up the map. "It'll still be a couple of hours before we reach the hotel, Syd. Did you want to stop for lunch?"

Sydney considered this for a moment, then nodded, pulling the jeep to the side of the road. "Not much traffic around here, is there, Bridgit?"

She shook her head and riffled her backpack for their lunch. "Handful of sightseers, but there's really nothing out here that modern man would be interested in." She made a disgusted face. "After all, you can get beauty like this on a calendar. Why take the risk of leaving the house?"

Sydney stared. "Bridgit, I think that's as close to cynicism as I've ever heard you come."

She shrugged. "No one who's seen this land can fail to be awed by it and no one who's walked it can fail to love it. The problem is that people don't look anymore. They don't see the magic of it all."

Sydney helped her unfold the picnic blanket. "Is there magic here, Bridgit?" she asked softly.

Bridgit eyed her thoughtfully. "Aristotle once said 'In all things of nature there is something of the miraculous'. I'm inclined to agree."

"Oh." Sydney nodded slowly as they spread the blanket out on the ground. "Can I ask a personal question?"

"If you care to." Bridgit shrugged. "The worse I can do is not answer." She grinned at Sydney and accepted the picnic-basket from Nigel. "There's a cooler in the back of the jeep with drinks and food, Nigel. Could you grab it for me?"

He nodded and trotted back to the jeep.

Sydney smiled. "You're good with men."

She shrugged. "I treat men like I treat everyone. With the courtesy and respect they deserve as individuals." She knelt on the ground and began unpacking plates and silverware. "You had a question?"

Sydney nodded. "This may sound like a weird question, but... are you Wicca?"

Bridgit looked up at her with a faintly amused smile. "Am I one of the Wicca?"

Sydney nodded. "Yeah. You don't have to answer if you're uncomfortable. It's just that you seem to have this reverence for nature..."

"It's a logical supposition." Bridgit smiled and nodded. "But, no. I'm not what you would call Wicca. I share many beliefs in common with the Wicca, but my path is somewhat... older." She resumed laying out the plates. "It's a complicated thing. There are many branches of Wicca, as there are of any religion, and there are faiths that are similar to but are not Wicca. I guess you could say I fall into the category. My interests lean more to the prehistoric religions, but I pick and choose."

"Pick and choose?" Nigel repeated, depositing the cooler on the ground.

She nodded. "It's foolish to conform your beliefs to those of any religion simply because you share many of that religion's views. It's easier to believe what you believe and go from there." She opened the cooler and grinned, holding up a tub of ice cream. "Dessert!"

Sydney grinned. "I like a woman who comes prepared."

"Hope you guys don't mind cookies and cream."

Nigel grinned and shook his head. "Is it still frozen?"

She nodded. "It was basically the consistency of a brick when I bought it this morning, so it should be just about right for eating. After we've had a healthy lunch." She reached into the cooler again and began pulling out food. Two thermoses contained chicken soup and tomato soup. She had several different kinds of sandwiches and even a Tupperware container full of baklava in addition to the ice cream.

"I didn't know you liked Greek food..." Nigel said, sniffing the confection appreciatively. He dipped his index finger into the honey-sauce before replacing the lid.

"I don't. Baklava is, I believe Turkish, not Greek. Besides, it is, without doubt, the finest pastry ever invented." She grinned and opened one of the thermoses. "Great! The soup's still hot."

Sydney smiled as Bridgit filled bowls for everyone and distributed the sandwiches. As luck would have it, she seemed to have everyone's favorites.

"You sure do know how to take care of your employees..." Sydney observed.

"Fellow adventurers, Sydney, fellow adventurers." Grinning, she picked up a piece of toast and dipped it into her tomato soup. "No reason why we can't adventure in style, is there? Who's thirsty? I have iced tea, soda, and water."

After a pleasant lunch, in which they all ate more than they should have, they spent a half-hour sitting on the blanket enjoying the sights sounds of the forest. A small white animal that resembled a cross between a deer and a gazelle walked right up to them and accepted a piece of toast from Bridgit's hand before wandering off.

"Good heavens, Bridgit!" Nigel muttered as it walked off. "I've never seen anything like that."

"It's an eilid, Nigel, a hind, a female red-backed deer."

"Are they all that tame?" Sydney asked.

"It's probably never seen a human before." Bridgit shrugged, then recited, "The clear voice of the red-backed deer/Under the oak tree, high on the summit/Gentle hinds and they so timid/Lying hidden in your well-wooded glen."

"That's lovely." Nigel smiled. "Is it your own?"

She shook her head. "It's translated from a 14th century poem, Dierdre Remembers a Glen. The hinds, they're called 'fairy-cattle'. Some say that they're actually sihd women who can take that form."

"Sihd?" Sydney asked.

"The sihd are the fairy-folk."

"Oh. I don't think I've ever heard that before."

"Sure you have. The word banshee is an anglicized version of the Irish 'bin sihd'."

"Oh." Sydney smiled. "Well, it was a lovely animal, fairy or not."

Bridgit smiled and nodded. She glanced skyward. "We should move on now if we wish to make it to the hotel by night-fall."

***

They passed an uneventful night in the hotel, and, then next morning, set out for the mountains on foot.

"Do you climb much?" Bridgit asked Sydney and Nigel as they left the foothills for the actual mountain range.

Nigel gave a noncommittal shrug.

Sydney shook her head at him and nodded to Bridgit. "Yes. I've done a fair amount."

"Good." Bridgit smiled. "Mostly this is just going to be an uphill walk, instead of actual rock-climbing, but I've packed away rock-climbing supplies just in case."

Sydney nodded approvingly. "Always a good idea to think ahead."

Bridgit smiled. "So I've always thought. Your packs aren't too heavy?" she asked them.

"No, no." Nigel shook his head.

"Sydney?"

"I'm fine, Bridgit..." she assured her, smiling. She looked up at the mountain range that dominated their view. "Let's get climbing."

Bridgit nodded and began walking. "This way is best. It's not so direct, but it's easier travel. I've marked out two good camping locations on the map, one about halfway to the site and the other right next to the lake. If that's satisfactory to you?"

Sydney nodded. "It sounds good to me."

"Then let us begin." She gave an excited grin and started up the mountain. In addition to her backpack and bed-role, she carried a bow slung over her shoulder and a quiver of arrows.

"Still think this is an adventure?" Nigel asked, panting after two hours of walking.

"It could be worse." Bridgit cast a backwards glance at Sydney. "Still, we might as well take a rest here. The ground's relatively flat and the flowers smell so pretty."

Nigel shook his head at her continued enthusiasm, but gratefully dropped his pack to the ground before helping Sydney remove her own.

"You guys hungry?" Bridgit asked, holding up a handful of granola bars. "Quick energy." She tossed two bars each to Sydney and Nigel and sat down to nibble on her own.

Nigel sat down next to Bridgit as Sydney began examining the area. "So, you think we'll be able to make it to your camp-sight this evening?"

"Oh, certainly, yes." She nodded. "We're all in relatively good shape, so that shouldn't be a problem, barring unforeseen accidents. And then it's just about a ten-hour walk to the lake itself, so we can camp there and start our exploration the following morning."

He nodded. "That makes sense. You said that you've been to the lake?"

She nodded. "Yes. Several times."

"So you mountain-climb a great deal, then?"

"When I'm near the mountains, yes. Last year I took a month off and hiked the entire Appalachian Trail. That was great fun."

"You go by yourself?"

"Mostly, yes. I'm not dreadfully antisocial, but there's something to be said for occasional solitude. I enjoy being alone in the wilderness."

"But what if you were to get hurt?"

"I'm careful. I don't get hurt."

"I see." Nigel shrugged. "You seem pretty fearless."

"You read the Bible much?"

"What?" Nigel stared at her in confusion. "I thought you weren't Christian."

"I'm not. Doesn't mean I haven't acquainted myself with other religious traditions. Anyway. There's a line in the bible. 'Be not afraid, I walk before you always'." She smiled. "Of course, there are a lot of similar ones, but you get the idea. I don't fear that evil will come to me when I'm in the wilderness, because I have faith in the things I have faith in." She shrugged. "Besides, I don't fear death anyway."

"Oh, come now. Everyone fears death."

"You'd be surprised. You think Sydney fears death? Do you fear death? Really?"

He shrugged and gave an embarrassed smile. "I suppose you have a point, there, Bridgit."

"I usually do." She glanced at the sky again. "We should move on."

Nigel nodded and rose, helping her to her feet. "Syd?" he called.

"Yeah, Nigel?" she asked, walking back into view.

"Ready to go?"

"I think so, yeah." Sydney nodded.

Bridgit smiled and shouldered her pack. "Then off we go. Into the wild blue yonder." Humming, she began walking.

***

"Here we are!" Bridgit announced, coming to a halt on a plateau, in the center of a circle of boulders. "Nice, isn't it?"

Without answering, Nigel knelt in front of one of the boulders, running his hands over it and blowing away dirt. "Sydney, look at this!" he called.

Sydney dropped to her knees next to him. "My God, these carvings must be thousands of years old!"

"Yes." Bridgit nodded and dropped her pack. "They predate the rise of the Druid religion, actually."

"Do you mind if I get some pictures of these?" Nigel asked.

"Feel free. I'm going to go see if I can't scrounge up some firewood while you two do your archeologist thing. Have fun!" With a wave, Bridgit wandered off.

"Let me get my things..." Sydney muttered, opening her pack. "A lot of these carvings are completely unfamiliar to me."

Nigel nodded. "They must be mostly prehistoric, but I've never heard of prehistoric man building so high in the mountains if they can help it."

Sydney nodded. "Maybe it was a sacred sight." She handed him the digital camera. "This one here, I've seen on pictures of the Scara Brae excavations, which probably place them several thousand years before the first Roman invasions."

Nigel nodded eagerly as Sydney began brushing away the dust which mostly obscured the carvings. "Amazing..." he muttered, snapping a few pictures. "Do you think this was a burial ground?"

She shook her head. "I doubt it. At this time they still would have been using burial mounds. The stone circle would represent some other type of sacred site."

He nodded and continued getting pictures. "You know, Syd, even if we don't find the Cauldron, I'd have to say that this trip has already been a success."

She smiled and nodded.

"Excited yet?" Bridgit asked, returning to the circle with an armful of wood.

Nigel nodded eagerly. "Did you know about these carvings?"

"Of course I did. It's part of the reason why I selected this site." She grinned. "I knew you'd enjoy it." She dumped the wood in the center of the circle and picked up her bow. "I'm going to see if I can get us something to eat, okay?"

"Of course. Is it safe to go alone?" Nigel asked.

She rolled her eyes. "The most vicious animal in these parts is the tourist. I'll be fine."

Nigel smiled and shook his head, returning his attention to the carvings. "Syd, this is amazing. Look, you keep working on this boulder, and I'm going to see if I can find carvings on any of the others."

Sydney nodded agreement and resumed the delicate work of removing thousands of years of dust and dirt from the carvings without damaging them. "You think Bridgit will be able to translate these? You said she reads Irish."

"Well, I'm not sure how much such ancient carvings will resemble modern Irish, but there's no harm in asking."

Sydney and Nigel were so absorbed in their work that they did not even notice that Bridgit had returned to the campsite until they smelled the cooking rabbit.

"Oh, Bridgit, that smells amazing!" Sydney exclaimed, packing up her supplies since it was really getting to dark to continue work. "What did you do to it?"

"Oh, I just added some herbs that I brought along." She shrugged. "So, did you find anything important?"

"It's hard to say, really..." Nigel told her, kneeling next to the roaring fire she had built. "We were hoping that maybe you could translate some of it for us."

"Well, I can try. The rabbit won't be done for a while. Let's see what you've got."

Nigel uploaded several of the pictures from the camera onto his laptop and showed them to Bridgit. "Anything?" Sydney asked.

"Well, it's not Ogham."

"Ogham? That's the druidic writing system?"

She nodded. "This predates that by... oh, a long time. Mostly they're pictographs or patterning, and not proper writing at all. This one, though," she pointed to the screen "that's the pictograph for Cerridwyn. This one probably means well or cauldron."

"So we are on the right track?" Sydney asked.

"So it would seem." Bridgit glanced at the pictures again. "This set tells of yearly death and rebirth of a god, which corresponds with the cycle of the seasons. That mythos survives even today in Wicca and in other pagan religions."

"I noticed that there were thirteen boulders in the circle..." Nigel said slowly. "Any thought on why?"

"Easy. Thirteen months in a year, thirteen societies of Druids, thirteen sacred animals, thirteen pieces of sacred regalia. It was a sacred number to the Druids."

"But... we've already established that these predate the Druids..." Sydney protested.

Bridgit nodded. "And so they do, certainly, however there is no religion on this earth that does not borrow from those religions which have come before." She shrugged and turned the rabbit on its spit. "In fact, even the name that Christians frequently assign to their devil, Beelzebub, is nothing more than a rude reference to the Syrian god Ba'al."

"I don't think Ba'al was Syrian..." Nigel muttered.

Bridgit shrugged. "It hardly matters. Most gods have many names and it hardly matters who worships them or by which name. Throughout time, pagans have recognized this to the point where they accept the worship of other pantheons simply because they are, in fact, actually the same pantheon, just with different names. Jupiter is Zeus and Ra, Diana is Artemis and Selene, and so on down the line. Names are just... names. Random strings of letters that happen to sound nice when put together." She pulled the rabbit from the spit. "Ah, all done. Nigel, could you reach into my pack and pull out a few bottles of water."

"Sure." Nigel walked over to where she had left her pack and opened it.

"Speaking of water," Bridgit added, "there's a very lovely river nearby if either of you wish to have a quick bath. There's a bottle of soap in my pack, too, that's non-toxic and biodegradable, so feel free to have a nice wash after dinner."

***

After a very filling meal and a quick wash, the three laid out their sleeping bags near the fire and climbed in.

"Aren't the stars beautiful?" Bridgit asked softly.

"Mmm?" Nigel asked sleepily. "Oh, yes, they really are."

"You could almost reach up and touch them..." Sydney observed gently.

Nigel glanced over at her with a smile. She saw him and smiled back before looking back up at the stars. Nigel smiled and closed his eyes.

"You know, this has to be the most restful Relic Hunt I've ever been on. Or, at least, since I met Syd."

"Nigel!" she protested, laughing.

"Sorry, Syd..." he said softly. "But it is nice not to get shot at for once."

Bridgit laughed gently. "The Hunt is young still."

Sydney smiled. "Yeah, Nigel. Just give it time."

Grinning, Nigel shook his head. "Good-night, ladies."

"Night, Nigel. Night, Bridgit."

"Sleep well, both."