Guardians of Time Read online

  Boudicca nudged Rhiannon. “He seems happier now, your man.”

  “He misses the mountains and the vast open spaces of nothingness.”

  “But not on this earth.”

  Rhiannon turned to protest, but long, strong fingers on her lips dissuaded her.

  The queen smiled and moved closer. “I know you are not from the Demetae tribe. You are far stranger than those people. You fool the villagers, but I’ve traveled on diplomatic missions. I know people, and none of you are completely human.”

  “I see,” said Rhiannon. She was grateful not to have to think of what to say next because Boudicca continued.

  “But I trust you,” she explained. “I sought guidance.” She glanced up at the almost full moon above them. “She told me you’re here to help, and I believe her.”

  “What else did she say?”

  “A great tragedy will befall this tribe, and I must lead us and save us.”

  Rhiannon looked Boudicca in the eye and then bowed her head. “I am here to serve you the best way I can.”

  “I know, so no more bowing.” Boudicca pulled Rhiannon to her. “I’ve missed you and that little fairy, Annie. Tell me all the gossip and maybe whose bright idea it was to pretend Will was your husband, rather than Tom.”

  Rhiannon grinned.

  “No, I know that one. You’re the higher-ranking people above Tom, but all the same, who did you think you were kidding?”

  That evening and the following day spent with Boudicca were the happiest of Rhiannon’s stay on Earth. It made the news brought to her six weeks later by an exhausted messenger on an even more exhausted horse harder to bear. Prasutagus had taken ill suddenly and died, but before the news could be sent out to the Iceni, the Romans had seized power over the tribe. Prasutagus had agreed with the Roman Emperor Nero that half his worth belonged to Rome, as his side of the bargain to secure protection for the tribe, but the Romans had no qualms taking it all from a grieving, undefended wife. They raped her daughters and imprisoned her, but the rider insisted she had escaped, taking a band of loyal warriors with her. More were joining every day as word spread, and it was the messenger’s task to ride on and rally the Iceni to his call and Boudicca’s call for revenge.

  There was no longer peace and happiness in the village. They mourned their king in their own way, though without a body or funeral pyre. Then work began to arm and provide for Boudicca’s army. Both weapons and food were needed. Troops were to gather for the first raid the day before midwinter’s day, on the site of the gathering. The aim was to take back Norwich.

  Will and Tom took parties of villagers on three-day trips, far afield, to load the carts with the metal-rich stones they needed. Trees were coppiced and peat stacked to feed the flames, and then the forge was lit. While hipposandals, spearheads, arrow tips, and ax heads were created in the forge, branches were selected for shafts and handles. Children collected feathers from beneath the crow trees for arrows, and the old people sanded the yew wood, ready to be strung as bows. Archers were not favored by the Iceni, but any unexpected firepower would be useful to win Boudicca’s final battle. They all collected the small, round, deadly stones used in the slingshot, one of the favored weapons of the tribe.

  While the rest of the women ground grain and preserved food with sea salt bought at the gathering, Rhiannon and Annie ground herbs into powders and mixed fats and beeswax for salves to aid the injured and dying. Though trained in warfare skills from all over the galaxy, among these people, at this Time on the Earth, Rhiannon was glad her role was not to fight.

  Late one night, a few days before the meeting at the gathering site, Boudicca and a handful of her best warriors were welcomed into the village. Around the fire, they told the story of the death of Prasutagus and the plundering by the Romans.

  “But the queen would not allow the Iceni tribe to be butchered and spat on by foreign invaders,” cried Boudicca, “so she raised an army, and took her revenge!”

  The cheers of the villagers rang in Rhiannon’s ears, hollow and heart-breaking. The following bloodshed was necessary to this moment in history, but she longed to forge a peace agreement all the same. Boudicca was full of anger and revenge when they met later.

  “Will you all join me?” asked Boudicca.

  “We will continue our work for you here, our Queen,” responded Rhiannon. “Tom and Will have trained others to find the rocks we need to begin the magical process, so weapons can be made and brought to you, wherever you need them.”

  “I’ve made a new shield,” interrupted Tom. “It’s tougher than the old one but lighter. Here.”

  Boudicca examined the shield. “This is great craftsmanship, as is all your work, and truly magical. The Iceni are in your debt.” She turned to Rhiannon. “Rhiannon, will you fight with me?”

  “I’m a healer, not a fighter. I will come to the gathering mound, but I will not fight.”

  Rhiannon and Boudicca spent the rest of the evening together, talking long into the night before falling asleep in each other’s arms with Tom and Will beside them.

  The cold winter days and nights rolled by with the Iceni tribe either fighting or preparing for war. Boudicca seized Norwich first, righting the wrongs done to her family, massacring all in her path who were not Iceni.

  Her next target was Camulodunum, Colchester, and Rhiannon knew from her history books that, though Roman women, children, and old people took refuge in the temple, Boudicca massacred them all.

  Through the coldest months, the tribe took cover and regrouped, nursing the injured and remembering their dead, but Boudicca’s assault against Rome continued. With fresh weapons, more horses, and more men, she rode on Londinium itself. Rhiannon knew the Roman army could have put up a fight, but Gaius Paulinus was without his legions, so he abandoned the town and its people to their fate, and headed northwest, giving the mass of Roman troops as much time as possible to march to his aid from Anglesey. Taking Londinium was Boudicca’s biggest win so far, even though it wasn’t well defended, and it rallied all the Iceni and her neighbors, the Trinovantes, to her call for more revenge.

  A few days before the final battle, Boudicca visited the village again, sharing the evening meal with Rhiannon, Will, and Tom.

  “You could stop now,” suggested Rhiannon. “Take over Londinium properly, and defend it as the center of your tribe.”

  Boudicca flicked the idea away with her hand. “I don’t really care to keep Londinium. I have Norwich back, my home and my base, but what I really want is the last Roman hounded off my land! They ran away from Londinium, you know. They’re debilitated and scared. I’ll kill every last one of them, then Rome will leave us alone!”

  “I’m not sure it works like that,” ventured Rhiannon. “Roman armies don’t think or worry. They do as they’re told, and the officers stick to preplanned strategies.

  Boudicca’s silence left a pause in the conversation, but Rhiannon was loath to fill it. Luckily, Boudicca spoke herself.

  “I have been a fool, forgive me. I’m crowing like an idiot over small victories when the final battle is the most important.” She bowed to each of them in turn. “Any help and advice you can give me, I will accept with gratitude.”

  Rhiannon and Annie took turns to ride on Star, the little pony, bringing their precious cargo of medicines toward the battle site. Will and Tom had spent the previous evening speaking to Boudicca about likely Roman tactics on the battlefield. It would depend on where the Romans decided to make a stand, but they hoped they had covered at least a few possibilities. They presented her with new weapons for the chariots, which would be affixed once they were in battle position. Rhiannon and Annie rode ahead of the main army, reaching the battle site by late morning. They filled bags with milk thistle and one flagon of mead each, which they slung across their bodies, before tying Star to a tree and ducking off the road to approach the Roman army from the rear.

  Not one Roman questioned the pretty, young women bringing mead, beer, and water to
the troops. No one noticed the slight change in the taste either. Rhiannon warded off a few soldiers requesting more than liquid sustenance and kept a close eye on Annie, but once their bags were empty, they ducked back under cover of the gnarled woods and hurried back to the road. Rhiannon had managed to drop milk thistle into the main water supply, amphorae stored at the back of the mess tent, so most soldiers would get a taste before the battle began.

  Back on the road, the main army came into view. Rhiannon had persuaded Boudicca to leave the young and elderly behind in the village, rather than bringing cumbersome carts with them. Tom informed Rhiannon they were late because Boudicca had taken Verulamium on the way, but they assured her she was prepared for a strategic battle against the Romans. The Iceni warriors outnumbered the Romans by ten to one, so all they had to do was listen to the commands of their leader—and they did.

  Instead of all the chariots taking the lead and suffering heavy losses at the spears of the Romans, only a few moved forward, taunting the Romans to attack. Once they did, in three ranks of chevrons, the Iceni parted, allowing them through the middle before encircling them with chariots and infantry. Attacked from all sides, the Roman strategy began to fall apart. The new spokes on the wheels of the chariots floored much of the infantry, cutting through shins and ankles like butter, and the new shields offered the Iceni far more defense than the old ones. Unexpected showers of arrows rained down on the disorientated Romans, and any that ran for cover were picked off by the slingers. The stench of sickness pervaded the air as the legionaries vomited and released their bowels without restraint after their dose of milk thistle.

  As the sun began to lower on the horizon, Boudicca had taken control of the battle and the weak, debilitated Roman soldiers, and she had taken Gaius Paulinus hostage. She knew, because Rhiannon had told her, that more soldiers would come from Anglesey, so they rounded up prisoners for the first time in the history of Iceni warfare, and made their way back toward the village. The Romans would come, but the Iceni tribe had the means to negotiate, and they would talk before they would fight again.

  Annie waited on Star for Rhiannon to follow them.

  “You must take Star, and look after him and Finn at our house, Annie,” explained Rhiannon. “Our job is done here, and we must travel on.”

  “No, please,” begged Annie, tears welling in her eyes. “I want you to stay.”

  “I know. I wish it were possible, but we cannot. You must remember all you’ve learned, and if you are in doubt, ask the moon goddess to help you, and she will.”

  “You mean, I’m to be healer in your place?”

  “Of course.” Rhiannon lifted off the amber pendant from her neck and handed it up to Annie. “This is yours now. Be there to aid and guide your queen, and she will protect you.”

  Rhiannon walked into the trees with Will and Tom, who’d sent Finn on his way in their cart. She cuffed away a stray tear with the back of her hand.

  “At last we can go home,” moaned Will.

  “I shall miss the tribe,” said Rhiannon, “especially Boudicca and Annie.”

  “Miss those peasants? You’re mad.”

  Rhiannon rounded on him. “You have learned nothing from your stay, have you? We came to address an imbalance, and by Boudicca winning this battle, I’m sure we have accomplished our task, but I have learned much from these simple people, and shall treasure the love they showed me.”

  “Me too,” said Tom. “They may be simple to our eyes, but they learn quickly once shown and are capable of far more than I believed. We have left them the means to make strong metal, which will aid them in the future, as long as they don’t just make weapons with it. I’ve enjoyed hearing their stories, beliefs, and hopes for the future of the tribe.”

  “They’re savages,” insisted Will. “You’ll never change them. Where are we going?”

  “There’s a hill on the other side of this wood. We can walk there by sundown.”

  “You’re kidding!”

  “It’s the best place from which I can plan our route home.”

  “Then get a move on and stop this sentimental drivel! I have a lot of drinking to catch up on!” Will strode off, leaving Tom and Rhiannon standing.

  Rhiannon took Tom’s arm, and they strolled after him.

  “Will it work, do you think?” asked Tom.

  “We’ll know when we’re home. The hemp plants are doing well in the village, alleviating a need for cotton in this country, and, I hope, a need to conquer and create an empire to ascertain it. This restored imbalance should help in the future history of this land, and by having a little information about the Roman war strategies, good shields, and patience, Boudicca has won this battle. After that, we can only hope.”

  “Will we return?”

  “I shouldn’t think so. Time may only be traveled to redress an imbalance, and only by trained Time Guardians. We have finished our job here in this Time.”

  They reached the hill before dusk, and Rhiannon took some time to clear her mind and get herself ready for the jump. Night had descended when she emerged from her thoughts. Tom looked relieved to see her; Will glared his impatience. They had found three rocks, each big enough for a person to stand on. They placed them close together. Rhiannon took the center stone.

  Beneath the full moon, Rhiannon aligned her mind with the Great Star Map she knew by heart, closed her eyes to remove any distractions, and began to formulate a path home. It took no Time and all Time to create this travel map, so at the darkest point of the night, they stood naked on top of the hill with only the moon to light the land and bid Earth their final farewells.

  Lifting her arms from her sides, Rhiannon raised the power, filling her body with energy until she shone like a beacon. She sent the power out toward Will and Tom until the three of them stood within a ball of pulsing energy. Would it be enough? She had traveled alone before and only had to bring herself home. Doubt niggled at her mind, and then Boudicca’s strong, beautiful face and Annie’s trusting love filled her thinking. From the soles of her feet, Rhiannon sent down strong roots into the Earth, and the energy quadrupled in moments. She felt it surging through her like the pounding of hail on rocks and the heat of the sun at noon. The power encircled them and began to spin faster and faster until all was a blur, and then Rhiannon sent the energy along the path, following the coordinates to take them home.

  FOUR EARTH DAYS HAD passed since their arrival back at the Star Castle. There had been three days of debriefing, though Will only stayed for one before taking his leave without permission or saying farewell. On this fourth day, Rhiannon and Tom stood in the Star Castle chamber before the Master Guardians. Rhiannon had brought them home safely, to the roof of the Star Castle chamber itself, within a few strides of where they departed in the Vortex room beneath them. They received praise and honors for their work.

  Tom’s father, Xycholomere, stood and addressed the chamber. “I have listened to Guardian Rhiannon and Prince Thomas since their return from Earth. While you seek to redress an imbalance in Earth history, I have given much thought to the history of the Dragon Men. If these simple Homo sapiens can change, so can we. It gives me great pleasure to announce that my youngest son, Thomas, will rule the house of Hellmain after me. He and I shall talk much in the coming Time about the future of Dragon Men and their role in the Universe.”

  Muttering and chatter rose from the chamber. Rhiannon smiled at Tom’s wide-eyed disbelief.

  “It has been an honor,” continued Xycholomere, “to work with the Time Guardians, and I trust we may continue our amiable accord in the future.”

  Generous applause rose from the tiers of benches.

  Master Guardian Almira met Tom and Rhiannon outside the chamber. “Follow me,” she said.

  One of her office walls was a window to the stars, and Rhiannon caught her breath at the awesome sight it beheld. Never once did the wonders of the Universe cease to amaze her.

  Tom, too, stood mesmerized.

  “Come,�
�� said Almira. “I wanted to thank you personally for your great work on Earth, and to show you how your endeavors have redressed a much-needed balance.”

  “Thank you,” said Rhiannon.

  They sat and watched a screen divided into a number of segments. Almira’s voice commanded, “Earth, 2020.”

  Every picture showed a different continent or city on Earth. There were governments making decisions and common people going about their lives. News bulletins flashed up between the pictures. Smiling faces greeted the Time travelers. Every government was run by women. There were no wars anywhere on Earth. Sustainable energy ran the planet, a beautiful, green sphere, oozing with all aspects of life, covered in sumptuous forests of trees providing habitat for animals. Wind farms made energy on the coastlines, and solar energy was collected from the tallest buildings. Fields were sown with crops for people to eat, the seeds given energy by the rich, deep, verdant soil.

  Rhiannon hugged Tom before he left to find his father. “I’m so pleased for you.”

  “I had no idea.”

  Rhiannon laughed. “I know, but what an amazing opportunity.”

  “Thanks,” he said shyly. “Let’s hope it’s not all meetings and councils.”

  “I think your father will listen to anything you say right now.”

  “Let’s hope so.”

  “Do you know what has happened to Will?”

  “I can’t be sure, but Father’s usual punishment for disobedience is a spell in the Warnfare.”

  Rhiannon looked puzzled.

  “I’m not sure that you have an equivalent here, but in Earth’s history, have you heard of the Foreign Legion?”