Alatarial Elf: Thanks for the review! I had begun to think that no one would read this, but I'm glad you did. I'm trying to follow Celtic lore as closely as possible, but sometimes it is hard, even on the Internet, to find information I need for this story. Any knowledge is greatly appreciated! Read carefully for the next few chapters, the plot twists and turns until even I was almost lost.
Laney awoke early the next day and quickly took a bath. The hotel had showers but they looked new. She wanted to try out the big cast iron tub she had spotted when she first arrived. Lying back in the warm water she thought about all the other people who had used it. Doubting it was old enough to be from the time of Arthur, she imagined it had belonged to some Lady or royal. Pulling herself out of the past, she quickly got dressed and repacked her case. She headed down the stairs to find their guide. When she arrived, she found the guide talking to two older people at a long table. The older couple was voicing concerns at traveling with such a small group and complaining about the hiking part that was not mentioned in the advertisement. They were trying to get an answer about postponing the trip or getting a voucher for a later trip. When she walked up, the guide was telling them that the next tour wouldn't be for weeks and if they really were adamant about it they could wait. Concerned that if the couple cancelled, the guide might tell her that she would also have to wait, she listened anxiously.
The couple agreed to wait and the guide turned to Laney. "It seems it will only be you and me this time, unless you too feel unsafe with just a woman to guide you on a hike through the English countryside." The last was said with a great amount of sarcasm and she noticed the way the couple averted their eyes. "No, I'm fine in a smaller group. I don't like large crowds anyway but I do love to hike." Noticing her confidence, the other woman spoke. "Well, lets get going then."
Getting up the woman led the way. "Since it's only us, I'll get a car. We won't be needing the bus." She left Laney standing at the doorway and walked around the side of the building. When she returned to get her Laney saw she was driving a small box shaped car. She stopped, got out, and opened the trunk of the car to place the bags inside. Then after a moment they were on the road and heading for Bath.
The two women swapped personal information as they traveled north. The woman said her name was Elizabeth and that her friends called her Beth. Beth listened as Laney told her why she wanted to visit these places. When she had finished, Beth commented, "I agree, life goes too fast nowadays. But with this job I can go a little slower usually." Laney nodded her understanding. "I only get to go slower on the weekends when I'm not at work. My office is so fast paced that we usually don't even have time to grumble about being busy." They laughed at her comment and Beth announced that they would be in Bath in time for a quick lunch before they headed to the hot springs for a tour.
"Did you bring a bathing suit?" she asked. Laney told her she had and felt like a child at Christmas when she was told she would be allowed to take a dip in the mineral water so she would feel how it was to bathe back in the 'good old days of yore'. They arrived and went into a small café for a lunch of soup and bread. Laney had a couple of glasses of wine that tasted a lot like vinegar with sugar added and they took off walking toward the springs. When they arrived, Laney just stood there looking around at the beautiful sight. She felt like she was in a surreal place. At any time she would not have been surprised to see people milling about wearing ancient robes or shifts as they prepared to bathe away the dust from their days work.
The springs, famous for their mineral qualities, were encased in a stone fortress. The entrances seemed to open up every four or five stones and were laid in a circular shape. She couldn't see, but there seemed to be no doors at the entrances, just walkways. The inside looked dark, she guessed there would be lamps lit further in, but the eeriness made her shiver. Beth noticed her shivering and told her, "Wait until you get to the holding pool. The water there is so clear and it has a smell that is both sweet and medicinal, but better than that, it is just the right temperature to warm your body and relax your mind. You just wait!" Laney smiled and nodded her understanding. "I'm not really chilled, it just looks kind of eerie, and I guess I'm letting the history cloud my senses." She gave a small half-hearted laugh and followed her guide toward the structure.
Beth told her where to change into her suit and told her she would be back later to continue the tour. She had some friends in the area and wanted to take the opportunity to visit if it was okay. Laney told her she would enjoy some time to soak in the springs and quickly headed in the direction of the changing room. After she had changed she walked into the bath area carrying her bag. She didn't need anything from it but from necessity she had learned to keep an eye on her belongings when in public.
The place was old, you could see it in the stones and smell it in the air. There were huge stone pillars about four feet apart all the way around the pool area. She thought each entryway came from a place just like the one she had been in. She stepped onto the first step leading down into the spring well. The water was wonderfully warm and made her skin tingle. She looked down and expected to see an 'Alka-Seltzer-like' fizz emanating from her skin. Noticing nothing different, she took another step down, then plunged into the water head first to skim across the surface noiselessly. She lowered her feet and stood up to find the water up to her breasts. She was like a small child splashing and rippling the water with her hands.
After a few moments of this, she moved over to one of the stone benches carved into the rock. She sat down and lay her head back enjoying the relaxing way the water made her muscles feel. She could imagine how good it would feel after a long hard day working the fields or coming home after a terrible battle with invading Saxons. Her thoughts turned to the history of this place and she could almost see the inhabitants of thousands of years ago milling around in the water shouting to each other of one conquest or another. She felt envy of their camaraderie and sense of accomplishments. They had conquered a world and all she did was to hate what that world had become. She was dreaming of being a part of that conquering when she realized the sun had set and she was now the only one around. Thinking about how she had not been herself since she decided to take the tour, she shook her head.
She quickly moved toward the steps to get out when a glint in the moonlight caught her eye. She went over to see what it was, expecting to find a ring or something that had been lost, and was surprised to find some kind of pendant. It looked really old, and was wedged between two stones beside the stone steps. The gold was smooth and shining. She couldn't get the pendant out with just her fingers, so she climbed the rest of the stairs and got her beach bag. She knew there were at least a set of fingernail clippers and possibly a pair of tweezers.
After she got the clippers and nail file from her bag, she walked back into the water and began trying to get the gold. After a few minutes it came loose and she picked it up examining it. It was about the size of a silver dollar, hollow in the middle except for some intricate gold filigree worked into some kind of strange knot. There were strange symbols etched around the outside edge. She immediately recognized the pendant as being like the one she had found in the jewelry box that once belonged to her grandmother and as far back as anyone could remember. When the woman who had owned the pendant died it automatically went to the daughter of one generation past the next. Her grandmother told her it had never been in the hands of a male heir and it always skipped one generation each time. Suddenly she felt a warmth emanating from the pendant. A mist hung over the water as if the air above it had suddenly gone cold.
Laney tried to calm the panic rising in her throat. What had happened? She looked around in every direction. Not only was there no one to be seen, the whole place somehow looked different. Newer, and more than that, it was a lot smaller. All she could tell was that she was not in the same place she had arrived a few hours before. She desperately wanted to step out of the water but her body seemed to be held in suspension. She was there, and the place had a familiarity, but it was much smaller than the one she had been in moments before. "Maybe I'm asleep in the water and dreaming." She reached down and pinched her thigh. When she felt the pain of the pinch and things didn't change she laughed hysterically. Shaking her head, she took a few deep breaths to calm herself. 'I've got to get my thoughts and fantasies under control. I'll be okay.' She thought to herself.
She suddenly felt the hair on the back of her neck raise. She felt someone was watching her. She turned around to see who was there, but didn't see anyone at first, then a movement in the shadows of one of the pillars caught her eye. "Who's there? Come out so I see you." She said throatily. A man stepped out and stood in front of her. He looked like a beggar you'd see on the streets except he had on a long robe instead of dirty old clothes. His hair was long, longer than hers and he had a full beard. His face was extremely dirty covered in what appeared to be mud and grime.
He took a couple of steps toward her and when the moonlight hit his face she saw that it wasn't dirt, but some kind of blue paint or makeup. Maybe this was some kind of reenactment like she'd seen on the Indian reservation back home. "Hello, am I glad to see you. I thought I was all alone here and this place is kind of spooky." The man never said a word, just took a few more steps toward her. He was certainly acting strange. His behavior made her feel uneasy but she wasn't really afraid. For some reason she thought if he meant her harm he would have done something before she realized he was there. She suddenly felt she knew he'd been around the whole time and had let her see him, if he had wanted to remain hidden she would never have seen him.
"Who are you?" she knew the fear rising into her throat made her voice sound strange. He stopped walking and pointed a stick toward her. She hadn't noticed it when she saw him, but she didn't feel he was threatening her. "Do you not know me?." Was all he said. She gave him a questioning look. "What are you talking about?" He motioned for her to follow him. She hesitated for only a moment. She stepped out of the water and followed him between the two pillars that led to the entrance. She looked up at the sky and saw that it was mid-day. The sun shone on a field of bright green grass and she could hear the birds singing as they flew from tree to tree in the woods just to one side. Just moments before it had been dusky dark.
"What just happened?" she asked the man. "You still haven't told me who you are and what you want?" She tried to sound commanding but thought maybe it came out more pleading than anything else. The man made a motion with his stick and she saw that it was some kind of carved piece of wood that was more than likely a walking stick of some kind. It made her think of the old nursery rhyme 'Mary Had A Little Lamb'. It looked like a sheppard's staff. As the staff moved across her line of vision she saw the scene change from the beautiful summer's day to a heavy mist. She couldn't see anything, not even the sun.
He turned to her and spoke. "You wished to experience the days of old. I am to be your guide to that place." He gauged her reaction and then added. "My name is Merlin." He seemed to think that was all the explanation she needed. When she heard his name she gave a gasp. He couldn't be! "You're joking, right?" was all she could ask. When he looked at her, she saw that he was not. "You mean, you are here to show me what it looked like back then? In some kind of silent movie format?
"No, I am here to guide you to your place in this time. You were born out of time. You should have been here so I have been sent to rescue you and bring you home." She saw he was telling the truth and she felt fear for the first time. Not panic like before, but fear that she had lost her mind. "How is that possible, Merlin, or whoever you are?" Maybe the water had some kind of hypnotic effect. Or something in the minerals had some kind hallucinogenic quality. She just had to be dreaming!
The man gave a deep sigh. "You were lost in a time not of your own. Fate decided that you should return to your home, for there is great need for you there." He looked into her eyes, "So like your mother, your desire is great, and the gods have heard your plea as they heard hers. I will be your guide, as you feel the need." The last thing she heard before she fainted was the sound of woman's voice as she said, "Merlin, they are coming. She must begin her destiny before it is too late."