Chapter 4 -- The Holy Lough (that's a lake)

"Morning, Nigel!" Bridget called cheerfully as Nigel sat on a rock next to the river trying to shave. "Can I come over? Are you dressed?"

"Go ahead, Bridgit..." Nigel replied distractedly. "I'm just shaving."

"So you are." Grinning, Bridgit walked around a pile of boulders and approached Nigel who was sitting on a low rock and looking at his reflection in the river. "You know, that's easier with a mirror."

Nigel nodded ruefully. "I know, but mine shifted in the pack yesterday and got broken."

"Oh." Bridgit knelt in front of him and extended her hand. "Give."

"Bridgit, that's really not necessary."

"Nonsense. You're no use to me if you cut your throat. Indulge me."

Shaking his head, Nigel handed her the disposable razor. "Where's Syd."

"Still sleeping. I saw no point in waking her until breakfast is done." As she spoke, Bridgit began carefully scraping away Nigel's scruffy growth of facial-hair.

"What is for breakfast?" Nigel asked, trying to make small talk. He felt awkward letting a casual acquaintance shave his face. He had always felt that something like that was really better reserved for a more intimate friend.

"Omelets. Just don't ask where I got the eggs."

Nigel stared uncertainly. "Um, okay..."

"There. All done. Wasn't that easier?" Bridgit handed him back the razor.

"I suppose so, yes." Nigel nodded and splashed a handful of water on his face. "Have you had your bath yet?"

She nodded. "Before you got up."

"Oh. You don't sleep much, do you?"

"No. Not really." Bridgit shrugged. "Well, it'll be about ten minutes until breakfast's ready, so you can do... whatever else you need to do and I'll be at the camp."

"Oh, I'm all done here..." Nigel assured her, rising and picking up his shaving kit and the clothes he had been wearing the night before and following her back to the camp. He stepped around Sydney, who was still sleeping soundly and crouched next to Bridgit in front of the fire. "Smells good."

She smiled and nodded. "Should be. There's something about getting your food from the land that really does make it taste better."

"I've always thought so." Nigel nodded.

"Sleep well?" Bridgit inquired, placing a pot of water over the fire.

"Oh, yes. Very well, all things considered." Nigel smiled. "I thought that the ground would be far too rocky to get a really restful night sleep, but I did manage quite well." He cast a backwards glance at Sydney, smiling. "Although, not as well, it would seem, as Syd."

Bridgit smiled and nodded, scooping a few spoons-full of coffee grounds into the now-boiling water. "She obviously needed her sleep. We have a long walk today, but we should be at the lake by nightfall."

"And it's really on none of the maps?"

She shook her head.

"Well, that gives you the privilege of naming it, then." Nigel smiled. "Lake Bridgit."

Bridgit shook her head. "Lake Cerridwyn. Or maybe just 'the holy lough'. I think I prefer that." She reached into her pack and began pulling out plates and cups. "Wake Professor Fox, will you?"

Nigel nodded and walked over to Sydney in her sleeping bag. He knelt next to her and gave her shoulder a gentle shake. "Syd?"

"Hmm?" Sydney asked tiredly without opening her eyes.

"Breakfast's almost ready, Syd."

"Go away, Nigel. I don't have class until noon."

Nigel gave a bemused smile an tried again. "Syd, come on. We won't make it to the temple by nightfall if you don't get up soon."

Sydney slowly opened her eyes and looked around. "Oh..." Yawning, she sat up.

"Morning, Professor Fox!" Bridgit called over her shoulder. "You just have time for a quick dip in the river before the coffee's done."

"Thanks." Sydney rose and rummaged through her bag for a change of clothing before vanishing in the direction of the river.

Bridgit watched her go and shook her head in disgust.

"What?" Nigel asked defensively.

"She even looks good first thing in the morning." She shook her head again. "It's not right, Nigel."

Nigel smiled. "Syd always looks good."

"So I'm noticing." Bridgit smiled at Nigel. "Of course, a great part of beauty resides in the eyes that see it."

"What do you mean?" Nigel asked, rolling up Sydney's sleeping bag.

"I suspect that, to some people, Professor Fox would look beautiful no matter how she looked." Bridgit grinned at him and poured two mugs of coffee. She handed one to Nigel and picked the other one up. "Make sure breakfast doesn't burn. I'm going to bring this to Sydney."

Nigel nodded and crouched in front of the skillet where an enormous omelet was producing several truly wonderful smells. "What a curious thing to say..." he muttered after Bridgit had left.

To some people, Professor Fox would look beautiful no matter how she looked. Was 'some people' meant to refer to him? He supposed it must be, but when he looked at Sydney, he was looking at a lot more than her physical appearance. How could anyone fail to see that there was much more to Sydney Fox than her looks? He shook his head and sipped his coffee.

"Coffee, Professor Fox?" Bridgit asked softly, approaching Sydney where she stood in the river, scrubbing.

"Oh, thanks, Bridgit." Sydney smiled at her. "Is breakfast done already?"

"A few more minutes. I thought you might like your coffee first. I know some people can't do without it." She smiled and set the coffee on a rock within easy reach of Sydney, then turned back towards the camp.

"Bridgit?" Sydney called before she could leave.

"Yes, Professor?" Bridgit turned back, looking at Sydney curiously.

"Have you ever considered going into Ancient Studies?"

Bridgit gave a self-deprecating shrug. "Oh, I don't think I'd be very good at something like that."

"Don't be silly. Nigel tells me that you have an enviable command of ancient Gaelic. I mean, you discovered that transcript, recognized it for what it was, translated it, and launched an expedition based on it when most people would have considered it a joke."

"That just makes me stubborn, Professor. I lack the patience and the detachment necessary to be a good scholar. I'm happy with what I do now."

"Blacksmithing?" Sydney asked.

"Well, not just that, you know. It's hard to make a living at just that. I'm also a registered midwife and herbal healer."

"You're a midwife, too?"

Bridgit nodded. "Yes. It's... rewarding."

"I'm sure it must be." Sydney smiled at her. "It's an interesting combination, Bridgit. Blacksmith and medicine."

Bridgit shrugged uncomfortably. "Well, they do have something in common."

"I'm sure they do." Sydney finished her bath and climbed out of the river, picking up a towel. "And I'm sure you're very good at both."

"Well, I do my best." She shrugged again. "You should always do your very best at anything you undertake."

"I agree totally." Sydney smiled. "It's a good philosophy to have."

Bridgit smiled and nodded. "I think so. It's hard to be disappointed in yourself when you know you've done your very best."

"It can still happen..." Sydney said softly.

"But it should not." Bridgit smiled sadly at her. "When you've spent your whole life doing the very best you know how to do, the only thing you should be able to regret is that you didn't know any better."

"That can be a big regret, though."

"We should hurry. The food will be done soon."

Sydney nodded and shrugged on her clothes. She picked up her mug of coffee and followed Bridgit back to the camp. "Oh, smells great!" she announced.

***

"Are we there yet?" Sydney grunted, glancing at her watch. It was eight in the evening, local time. They had been on the road for almost twelve hours. Bridgit had proven relentless about getting them to the lake by nightfall, so there had been far fewer breaks today than the day before.

"Over this rise..." Bridgit assured her gently. "Then we can pitch camp and start searching the caves tomorrow."

They lapsed into silence until they reached the lake. As Sydney set up camp, Nigel and Bridgit went off in search of firewood.

"What will you do if we don't find it?" Nigel asked softly.

"We will find it." When she spoke, it sounded more like a statement of fact than anything else. There was no hope or trepidation in her voice, only certainty.

"But supposing that we don't?" Nigel persisted.

She shrugged. "Then we go home and get on with our lives."

"As simply as all that?" Nigel asked.

She nodded. "Why not? Finding the Cauldron isn't likely to change anything for either of us, you know, Nigel." She bent over and picked up a handful of branches that had fallen to the ground.

"What will you name the lake?"

"I won't. I'll let you and Professor Fox settle on something." Bridgit turned and walked back in the direction of the camp.

Nigel stared after her in obvious confusion. "But..." he protested helplessly. Shaking his head, he gathered up an armful of the wood and followed her.

"I've already found some likely caves..." Sydney was telling Bridgit by the time he reached the campsite.

Bridgit nodded and set about building a fire. She kept a piece of flint and a pocketknife on her key-chain, giving her the basic materials to make a fire anywhere that there was wood or vegetation. "We can start the search tomorrow. Or tonight, if you prefer."

"We should probably wait..." Sydney told her. "We want to be at our bests when we search the caves."

Bridgit nodded. "That makes sense. I wonder if the lake is warm enough to swim in?"

"Only one way to find out." Sydney walked over to the lake, bent down, and dipped her hand into the water. "That's odd..." she muttered, repeating the motion.

"What's odd, Syd?" Nigel asked, walking up to her. He glanced at Bridgit who was still absorbed in getting her flint to spark.

"The water. It's warm. Feel."

Frowning, Nigel bent over and scooped up a handful of water. Not only was it not cold, it was warmer than the air around them. "There must be a geothermal vent beneath the lake."

Having managed to start the fire, Bridgit joined them. "That corresponds with the text. The Arch-Druid speaks of the holy lough giving off steam in the coldest months of winter, and of it being unusually warm all year long."

"Actually, the whole area's unusually warm for its altitude..." Sydney observed, looking around. "Nigel must be right about those geothermal vents."

Bridgit smiled and nodded. "We probably won't even need the fire, except for cooking." She looked across the lake. The moon was almost full and reflected off of its still, black surface as an enormous disk of silver. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Nigel nodded, quietly awed by the sight. "It really is, Bridgit. I can see where your Druid would have felt that this place was holy."

Sydney smiled and nodded. "I can see where Cerridwyn would have picked it for her temple."

"It almost feels like coming home for some reason..." Nigel muttered.

Sydney stared at him for a minute, surprised, then nodded. "That's exactly what it feels like, Nigel."

They spent several minutes staring at the dark lake in a silence that was almost reverential in nature. Bridgit broke the silence first, suggesting a nice moonlit swim before they ate. Everyone agreed that this was a wonderful idea, and they spent several hours splashing around in the lake before eating a quickly prepared meal and climbing into their sleeping bags.

***

Nigel woke with a slight start at the sound of a raven cawing. He sat of up and looked around curiously. Bridgit was already up, kneeling before the lake which looked no less beautiful with the sun shining off of it than it had with the moon shining off of it. He watched her for several minutes, wondering what she was doing before it occurred to him that she must be praying. Reluctant to disturb her, he rose and quietly stirred up the fire. The raven that had woken him up was sitting on the ground, less than five feet away, watching him curiously. Nigel wondered if it had ever seen a human before. The thought that it probably had not was an appealing one. He watched it watching him with a smile.

"Good morning, Nigel." Smiling, Bridgit walked to the fire, carrying a large fish. She glanced at the raven. "What do you want?" she asked, smiling. "There's no food for you here. Go to where I gutted the fish." She pointed in the direction of the lake. "Leave Nigel alone."

The raven cawed at her and flapped down to the lake.

Nigel started curiously at her. "That was interesting."

"He's probably never seen a human before." Bridgit placed the fish on the ground and reached into her pack, pulling out a plastic bag full of smaller bags stuffed with herbs.

"I meant the way that it seemed to know what you were saying."

"Oh, that." Bridgit shrugged and began preparing the fish to cook. "They're smart animals. He probably smelled the fish but didn't want to get closer until I left."

"He didn't seem to mind getting close to me..." Nigel pointed out.

"You have shinnies."

"I beg your pardon?" Nigel asked.

Smiling, Bridgit picked up a fork from the ground in front of Nigel. It was one of many eating utensils that they had left sitting by the fire the night before. "Ravens like shiny things." She grinned at him. "They're like dragons. And people."

Nigel smiled and shook his head. "Ravens are like dragons and people, huh?"

"Why not?" Bridgit smiled. "All three like hoarding shiny things. Of course, ravens don't cook their food like people and dragons."

"I didn't know dragons could cook." Nigel laughed softly.

"Why else would they breathe fire?" Grinning, Bridgit wrapped the fish in several leaves and buried it under a pile of coals.

"Interesting theory." Nigel shook his head.

"Oh, I'm full of them." Bridgit grinned at him and rose. "I'm going to go wash my hands. If you want to take a bath before breakfast, I can wander off."

Nigel considered this, then nodded. "I'd appreciate it."

"Done." Bridgit rinsed her hands off in the lake. "Let Sydney sleep. Breakfast won't be done for an hour or more, and there's no reason to wake her until then."

Nigel nodded agreement and Bridgit turned and vanished into the forest. Smiling, Nigel picked up the bottle of soap and walked to the lake. Taking a warm bath in a lake was an interesting sensation, and Nigel resolved to spend his next vacation somewhere with hot springs, or, at the very least, to get a membership to a health-club with a hot tub. When he had finished his bath, he was reluctant to leave the water. He had swum several laps before noticing that he no longer had the place to himself.

Sydney was sitting on a rock near the shore watching him in amusement. "Morning, Nigel!" she called cheerfully when she saw that he had noticed her.

Nigel blushed and ducked deeper into the lake. "Morning, Sydney!" he called back. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah. Just fine. You?"

"Very well, yes." Nigel nodded uncomfortably.

Sydney's smile broadened. "You aren't going to move from that spot until I leave, are you?"

"Wasn't planning on it, no."

Sydney shook her head and laughed. "Where's Bridgit?"

"She went for a walk." Nigel pointed in the direction that Bridgit had gone.

"Thanks." Grinning and shaking her head, Sydney turned and walked into the woods. Bridgit was not hard to find. She was kneeling in the center of a clearing, picking flowers and quietly singing to herself. She smiled up at Sydney as she entered the clearing. "Good morning, Professor Fox. Did you sleep well?"

Sydney nodded. "Yeah."

"Feeling well?"

Sydney nodded again.

"Good. Flower?" Bridgit held up a light-blue blossom.

"Thanks." Sydney accepted the flower with a bemused smile and sat down across from Bridgit. "So, today's the day?"

"Today's the day..." Bridgit agreed, nodding. "Excited?"

Sydney shrugged. "You?"

"I suppose so. Of course, I have very little to gain one way or the other."

"Whereas I do?" Sydney asked.

"Possibly, yes. You are ill. If the old tales are true, the Cauldron could make you well."

Sydney shrugged again. "You know, they say that everything comes at a price."

"Do they?" Bridgit asked innocently. "I've always heard that the best things in life are free."

"How old are you?" Sydney asked suddenly.

"I beg your pardon?" Bridgit said, looking up.

"How old?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because I can't tell. Sometimes you act wise like an old woman and sometimes you act innocent like a child."

"Oh. Well, how old do you think I am?"

"I don't know. That's why I asked."

"Well, then, how old do I look?"

Sydney shrugged. "Maybe twenty or twenty-one, but you must be older than that."

"You're right." Bridgit returned her attention to the flowers, which she was braiding into a chain.

"About what?" Sydney asked, amused but also a little frustrated.

"What you just said."

"Forget it." Sydney shook her head.

"If you insist." Bridgit smiled at Sydney. "A girl has to have some secrets, you know."

"If you say so." Sydney grinned. "So, which cave are we going to start with? There must be at least a dozen around the lake."

"Eighteen. I think the one nearest our camp-site would be as good a place to start as any." She joined the ends of the flower-chain, forming a circle, and perched it on top of her head like a crown. "Is Nigel still splashing around like a dolphin?"

"He was when I left." Sydney smiled.

"Then perhaps we'd best wait a bit before going back. There's no real hurry, after all."

"That's true." Sydney leaned against a tree and closed her eyes, drinking in the smells and sounds of the clearing. "It's beautiful up here."

"I know. I could stay here forever."

"Well, forever's a long time, but I wouldn't mind spending a long weekend here some time."

Bridgit smiled at Sydney. "You're always so restless, Professor."

"I like to stay busy. Nothing wrong with that."

"If you say so. But sometimes isn't it nicer to just stop and listen?"

"To what?"

Bridgit shrugged. "To whichever of the voices in your head most needs to be heard at a given time."

"I beg your pardon?" Sydney opened her eyes. "Did you just say I should stop and listen to the voices in my head?"

Bridgit nodded serenely. "All joking aside, I've noticed that people don't listen to their internal voices enough. Personally, I think those voices are man's connection to the divine."

"Really?" Sydney asked. "What's yours say?"

"It says 'be happy'."

"That's all?"

"Well, there's more, but that's the gist of it. There's stuff in there about loving and caring for all mankind, too." She shrugged.

"Makes sense to me." Sydney yawned. "Damn, I've been up for fifteen minutes and I'm ready to fall back to sleep."

"It's the smell of the flowers. It's very relaxing."

Sydney smiled and nodded. There was something so calming about this place. Bridgit was right, a person never wanted to leave. Sitting here, with the sun on her face and the smell of the flowers in her nose and the sounds of birds in her ears, Sydney could feel her own problems drifting away. Her illness, all the things she would never get to do, no longer seemed to matter half as much as enjoying this one moment in time. She could even have sworn that she heard a little voice whispering in her ear that everything was going to be okay.

She opened her eyes and looked around. "It is relaxing here."

Bridgit nodded. "Yes, it is. But there's a place like this in all of us, too."

Sydney stared at her. She had no idea what prompted her to say what she said next. "You know, the ancient Egyptians believed that the gods would often appear among the people in human form."

"So I've heard. They weren't the only ones, either, were they?"

Sydney shook her head. "No. In fact, it was a fairly common pagan belief."

"The Christians believe something very similar, don't they? That angels appear on earth in human form?"

Sydney nodded again. "Yes. There are several instances in the Bible where angels appear in human form."

"Mostly to bring messages, yes?"

Sydney nodded. "In the case of angels, yes. But in other traditions, where the gods appear in human form, they're usually taking a more active role."

Bridgit smiled. "Do you believe they walk among us?"

"I'm not the person to be asking that question, Bridgit. I'm afraid I'm not very religious."

"No?" Bridgit shrugged. "You know, I can see where that belief came from."

"Really?" Sydney asked.

Bridgit nodded. "There are just some humans who are too much to be believed. They're too smart or too strong or too beautiful, so obviously they must be gods in disguise. In fact," Bridgit smiled slyly, "I can see where an ancient Greek might have mistake you for, say, Artemis."

"Artemis?" Sydney laughed.

"Certainly. You're intelligent, strong, talented, independent, and you don't need a man to take care of you. Sounds like her to me, although, you really don't have her temperament. She was not a fun person to get along with."

Sydney laughed.

"Of course," Bridgit went on blithely, "I'd be bitter, too, living in my brother's shadow like that all the time."

Sydney shook her head, still smiling. "That's interesting, Bridgit. You really think I could have passed for Artemis?"

"If you'd tried, certainly." Bridgit grinned. "Until that unfortunate incident with the lightening bolt stopped you, at least."

Sydney laughed. "Lightening bolt, huh?"

Bridgit nodded. "That is the traditional divine response to blasphemy, isn't it?"

Sydney nodded. "Yeah, I suppose it is." She shook her head in amazement. "I really remind you of Artemis?"

"You truly do, yes. Except, as I said, you have a much nicer temperament." She rose. "Breakfast should be done soon. We should go back."

"What god does Nigel remind you of?" Sydney asked, following.

"Oh, that's hard. Apollo, maybe. Intelligent, attractive, and unlucky in love. Or Vulcan. Clever, intelligent, and really unlucky in love." She shrugged. "Honestly, though, I don't think Nigel would make a very good god. He lacks a certain quality of ruthlessness."

Sydney laughed. "Poor Nigel."

"Poor Nigel indeed. Have you told him yet?"      

"Told him what?" Sydney asked.

"That you're ill."

"Oh." Sydney stopped walking.

Bridgit paused. "That's a no, is it?"

Sydney nodded. "I don't know how to tell him. Who knows, maybe I won't have to."

"You place a lot of hope in the Cauldron, Professor. Maybe more than you realize."

"It would be nice if the Cauldron could cure me, but I'm not holding my breath." Sydney shrugged and walked on.

Bridgit stared after her thoughtfully for a few moments. With a shrug, she followed.