Merryn's face hovered over hers when the vision ended. She could hear voices all around her, foggy and indistinct, irrelevant to what she had heard within her vision, a booming voice, she recognised as her brother's silenced them as feeling returned to her body.
A vision such as this had only come to her once before, many years ago, Merryn had, had two, its strength had sapped hers, her veins feeling like lead as she forced herself to sit up, still bleary eyed, knowing that movement would return herself to her senses faster.
'What has happened', the first coherent voice she heard came from her left, next to the form she knew was Merryn.
'A message', Merryn's voice rang in her ears, making her feel dizzy.
Cassandra made to stand, it was a mistake and she swayed on her knees, she felt sand beneath her fingers, she focused on its warmth, feeling trickles of energy flow through her fingertips, enough to awaken her enough to think a little clearly. She couldn't let the elvern see her in this state, it would not serve for them to see weakness.
A hand appeared next to her, she brushed it aside, with all the might she could muster, she forced herself onto her feet, consciously aware that Merryn was close. As she stood, taking in the daces of the elvern, his hand rested upon her shoulder, a flood of energy surged through her from Merryn, suddenly she felt almost normal. She thanked him, silently.
'What is this message?' A shrewd faced elf, tall with fine ringlets hanging from his ears asked.
'Time'. Cassandra did not yet feel ready to say a word about what she had seen or heard, unless to Merryn. It was not possible to discern the entire message so soon, it needed time to settle, the dust to clear for any sense could be made from it. 'I need time to think'. Without another word, wishing not to be pressed she cast herself away from the crowd, Merryn did not follow her, she was glad as she walked up the bay, toward the dunes and peninsula.
Within the the deep bank of marram grass, growing tall in the dunes she rested, holding her head in her hands. Merryn would make sense of it, perhaps, but this vision had come when they were divided, they would never again be seven, but it would be a long time, perhaps before the six of them were together again. They had never been apart, as they were, before. Since the rise of their abilities and the divine's choice in them, united they had stood, taking strength from one another. The message was for all of them, the voice in the stone had a part in it, but it showed a time far ahead, or perhaps something which spanned ages. A catastrophe was drawing close, its effects would be felt by all for generations to come...
***
The journey back to the castle of the late King Gruffydd was a slow one, marked by the stares of her brother, almost penetrating as they rode side by side up the muddy lanes through deep forest. He would ask her eventually, she knew, but she would not hasten to tell him, fearing the worst of his interpretation.
Perhaps he would have been better suited to receiving this vision, she thought, wishing to be unburdened.
It had rained hard throughout their journey, fitting perhaps, a foreshadow of the doom that was sure to come if she had understood the vision correctly. Her feathered gown was soaked through, rough against her skin and dark, before drawing into close view of the castle guards she ran long fingers around her body, shivering as the heat which tingled her fingertips left her gown steaming as it warmed, Merryn copied her and did the same. She took the small pleasure in that he had never been able to master the ability to dry clothes in this way, steam erupting in fine plumes, instead of in curtains all over. Small pleasures are always the finest!
The great oaken doors boomed as they were drawn open for them, the clopping of their horse's hooves echoing off the stone. Dark figures of the stable boys ran toward them, a small boy named Celyn took her bridle as she dismounted, sweeping her still steaming gown with her and removed her heavy woolen cloak which another boy took from her. Merryn's face caught her eyes, half hidden behind white beard and hood, he wanted to meet he later in his study, it was an order, she nodded and left him without a word.
These walls would become ruins...
Servants ladened with jugs and rushes passed her as she headed toward the great hall, they nodded and welcomed her back, wishing her well. It was easy to put on the act that she was well used to now, to greet them back, pretend to be undisturbed by current events and the like. She had almost forgotten about their plans before the vision and had to double take when she saw the old king's widow, Edith, with her daughter, half concealed behind a black veil, standing at the far end of the hall, seemingly waiting for someone.
Cassandra made for her, 'Edith, how must you have fared in this state of uncertainty'.
'How must one such as I fare with two boys readying themselves for battle, a daughter to have married, my husband dead, his kingdom divided and much threat from his enemy!' She looked close to tears, but her face was a permanent fix of fierce determination, un-shadowed by the veil.
'Hush, we cannot speak of such matters in the open,' Cassandra saw the worried look of Edith's daughter Agnes, by the standards of society she was of the age to marry at twelve, far too young, Cassandra knew, to bear that burden but hid the pity in her voice. 'Agnes child, worry not...'
The child tore herself away and fled the hall with a light pitter-patter of feet. 'She refuses marriage and wishes to run away, I was like that at her age'. Edith sighed. 'A world to be reliant on men and to be obedient'.
'Come with me and we can talk without unsavory ears', Cassandra put an arm around her but Edith did not move, she clutched Cassandra's wrist tight.
'They're talking about it openly you know. My sons want revenge against Harold but our kingdoms will fall into the hands of their uncles'. Her tongue was sharp, but a pleading note lay hidden there.
'Even I cannot bring right to that,' she whispered, conscious of a servant entering the room behind her', Edith. My brother and I have plans already in motion...' An image of the vision flashed over her mind, surely Edith had no part in this?
'Very well,' Edith removed her hand, 'we shall see what will come to pass, I shall pray'.
Cassandra felt a prickle of pity for Edith, watching her stride angrily through the hall after her daughter. The plans she had made with Merryn were at least soften the blow on the family and attempt to bring some sort of peace there, to avoid war and avoid a feast for the Shadows, lest that entity regain its hold upon people.
A soft motion, like fluid, came over her mind, Merryn's calling to her to see him. She hesitated for a moment before running after Edith, catching up with her before the oaken doors, as she walked past her, she whispered 'have faith,' before hurrying onward to see Merryn.
His door was open, in the half light of his room she found him pouring over his desk, now wearing a white woolen robe, small beads of water glistening upon the ringlets of his beard, Merryn did not move as she shut his door behind her but muttered, 'the castle seems in high spirits today'.
'I have not yet seen, but there is a change in the air,' Cassandra explained, finding a wooden stool to sit on, 'you have not yet been far from this room Merryn, how would you know?'
He finally straightened up and turned to her, blinking a little as his eyes refocused. 'I sense the vibrations, but your mind is already occupied'.
She caught the smell of leather and lavender, 'was your mind not occupied as such when you saw the events of the last invasion?'
'Do not hasten to forget, sister that I am worried for you. The last time you received a vision of such strength, you were weakened to the Shadows crawl, it almost destroyed you'. His lined face became more prominent as he moved toward her, removing his cloth hat and casting it aside, the light from the window slit glowed through his scraggy white hair.
Cassandra wanted to turn away from him, remembering their time, in what should have been a few weeks in Greece, a few weeks which had turned into years, it had happened so long ago, but the memory still affected her deeply. She had foreseen treachery and much death, been shunned for it and unable to change what she had seen, nor to help those she loved. It was from that time her name had come, her previous life, before they had become the seven, her name and life then seemed to belong to another person.
'Do not keep what you saw to yourself, sister'. Merryn's voice was stern and brought her out of her thought, 'relieve yourself of the burden'.
Their eyes met perfectly and the spell of silence broke immediately.
'There was a blade, short, perhaps a knife being struck into or onto stone. I saw the figure the voice in the cavern had been, he lived over a thousand years ago, bound to that cave. He will help us, he can be trusted, much knowledge lies there, but the elvern will claim we have no right to be there once they discover the depth of what can be learned there.
'I saw silence upon a hillside, men awaiting the call to battle, holding banners high, a banner I could not recognise against the English. Foreign invaders. The wind was blowing strong, damp earth and much loss, a shower of arrows raining from the sky, thunderous hooves and the death of the king, but not Edward.
'Then it changed, I saw the end of ways and the building of forts, chaos, fire and forge. Conflict ending and starting with blood. I saw a root swelling underground, it grew and grew, leaves flourished and yellowed, blowing branches and renewed leaves, in years to pass, the grip of Shadows dealing heavy blows to all, a light, a passing, a shadow, the ending. A shattering of light and shadow, an eruption through the veil, the other world, a door closing and the sensation of falling from a great height, a mirrored room, without mirrors, someone living on the other side there, but two sides having no contact but they know of the other, but know not that the other is close...'
Merryn stared hard at her, 'you have already interpreted much of this vision yourself, there is not much that I can say upon that'. He stood and turned his back upon her. For a long moment he was silent, Cassandra said nothing, feeling relief flooding through her to have finally conveyed her vision to him. It would be short lived, but the fate of their plans would be at hand should they act upon what she had seen.
'I think I saw Edith on the battlefield, after the battle, walking among the crows'.
'A fallen king that was not Edward and Edith'. Merryn said quietly. 'The king that had fallen could not have been the foreign king, for the change you described can only be attributed to fresh kingship, Edward must also fall, another to take his place and shortly follow him'.
Cassandra had thought of that, but she had not wanted to say it.
'The others should be made aware of this,' he said after another moment of silence, 'our plans for the meanwhile must continue, too much has gone into them to abandon at whim, but new plans must be drawn up. We must unite'.
'But it might be too late to send a message to the others, they were to stem the flow of anguish and hate, if they return their word may be hindered'.
'True, but what if we sent the others of our kind in their stead to take care of matters, for a short time and work out the new matters, we cannot ignore this vision neither can we allow ourselves to be clouded by it'. Merryn turned to her and smiled, 'be brave sister, we all must be'.
A vision such as this had only come to her once before, many years ago, Merryn had, had two, its strength had sapped hers, her veins feeling like lead as she forced herself to sit up, still bleary eyed, knowing that movement would return herself to her senses faster.
'What has happened', the first coherent voice she heard came from her left, next to the form she knew was Merryn.
'A message', Merryn's voice rang in her ears, making her feel dizzy.
Cassandra made to stand, it was a mistake and she swayed on her knees, she felt sand beneath her fingers, she focused on its warmth, feeling trickles of energy flow through her fingertips, enough to awaken her enough to think a little clearly. She couldn't let the elvern see her in this state, it would not serve for them to see weakness.
A hand appeared next to her, she brushed it aside, with all the might she could muster, she forced herself onto her feet, consciously aware that Merryn was close. As she stood, taking in the daces of the elvern, his hand rested upon her shoulder, a flood of energy surged through her from Merryn, suddenly she felt almost normal. She thanked him, silently.
'What is this message?' A shrewd faced elf, tall with fine ringlets hanging from his ears asked.
'Time'. Cassandra did not yet feel ready to say a word about what she had seen or heard, unless to Merryn. It was not possible to discern the entire message so soon, it needed time to settle, the dust to clear for any sense could be made from it. 'I need time to think'. Without another word, wishing not to be pressed she cast herself away from the crowd, Merryn did not follow her, she was glad as she walked up the bay, toward the dunes and peninsula.
Within the the deep bank of marram grass, growing tall in the dunes she rested, holding her head in her hands. Merryn would make sense of it, perhaps, but this vision had come when they were divided, they would never again be seven, but it would be a long time, perhaps before the six of them were together again. They had never been apart, as they were, before. Since the rise of their abilities and the divine's choice in them, united they had stood, taking strength from one another. The message was for all of them, the voice in the stone had a part in it, but it showed a time far ahead, or perhaps something which spanned ages. A catastrophe was drawing close, its effects would be felt by all for generations to come...
***
The journey back to the castle of the late King Gruffydd was a slow one, marked by the stares of her brother, almost penetrating as they rode side by side up the muddy lanes through deep forest. He would ask her eventually, she knew, but she would not hasten to tell him, fearing the worst of his interpretation.
Perhaps he would have been better suited to receiving this vision, she thought, wishing to be unburdened.
It had rained hard throughout their journey, fitting perhaps, a foreshadow of the doom that was sure to come if she had understood the vision correctly. Her feathered gown was soaked through, rough against her skin and dark, before drawing into close view of the castle guards she ran long fingers around her body, shivering as the heat which tingled her fingertips left her gown steaming as it warmed, Merryn copied her and did the same. She took the small pleasure in that he had never been able to master the ability to dry clothes in this way, steam erupting in fine plumes, instead of in curtains all over. Small pleasures are always the finest!
The great oaken doors boomed as they were drawn open for them, the clopping of their horse's hooves echoing off the stone. Dark figures of the stable boys ran toward them, a small boy named Celyn took her bridle as she dismounted, sweeping her still steaming gown with her and removed her heavy woolen cloak which another boy took from her. Merryn's face caught her eyes, half hidden behind white beard and hood, he wanted to meet he later in his study, it was an order, she nodded and left him without a word.
These walls would become ruins...
Servants ladened with jugs and rushes passed her as she headed toward the great hall, they nodded and welcomed her back, wishing her well. It was easy to put on the act that she was well used to now, to greet them back, pretend to be undisturbed by current events and the like. She had almost forgotten about their plans before the vision and had to double take when she saw the old king's widow, Edith, with her daughter, half concealed behind a black veil, standing at the far end of the hall, seemingly waiting for someone.
Cassandra made for her, 'Edith, how must you have fared in this state of uncertainty'.
'How must one such as I fare with two boys readying themselves for battle, a daughter to have married, my husband dead, his kingdom divided and much threat from his enemy!' She looked close to tears, but her face was a permanent fix of fierce determination, un-shadowed by the veil.
'Hush, we cannot speak of such matters in the open,' Cassandra saw the worried look of Edith's daughter Agnes, by the standards of society she was of the age to marry at twelve, far too young, Cassandra knew, to bear that burden but hid the pity in her voice. 'Agnes child, worry not...'
The child tore herself away and fled the hall with a light pitter-patter of feet. 'She refuses marriage and wishes to run away, I was like that at her age'. Edith sighed. 'A world to be reliant on men and to be obedient'.
'Come with me and we can talk without unsavory ears', Cassandra put an arm around her but Edith did not move, she clutched Cassandra's wrist tight.
'They're talking about it openly you know. My sons want revenge against Harold but our kingdoms will fall into the hands of their uncles'. Her tongue was sharp, but a pleading note lay hidden there.
'Even I cannot bring right to that,' she whispered, conscious of a servant entering the room behind her', Edith. My brother and I have plans already in motion...' An image of the vision flashed over her mind, surely Edith had no part in this?
'Very well,' Edith removed her hand, 'we shall see what will come to pass, I shall pray'.
Cassandra felt a prickle of pity for Edith, watching her stride angrily through the hall after her daughter. The plans she had made with Merryn were at least soften the blow on the family and attempt to bring some sort of peace there, to avoid war and avoid a feast for the Shadows, lest that entity regain its hold upon people.
A soft motion, like fluid, came over her mind, Merryn's calling to her to see him. She hesitated for a moment before running after Edith, catching up with her before the oaken doors, as she walked past her, she whispered 'have faith,' before hurrying onward to see Merryn.
His door was open, in the half light of his room she found him pouring over his desk, now wearing a white woolen robe, small beads of water glistening upon the ringlets of his beard, Merryn did not move as she shut his door behind her but muttered, 'the castle seems in high spirits today'.
'I have not yet seen, but there is a change in the air,' Cassandra explained, finding a wooden stool to sit on, 'you have not yet been far from this room Merryn, how would you know?'
He finally straightened up and turned to her, blinking a little as his eyes refocused. 'I sense the vibrations, but your mind is already occupied'.
She caught the smell of leather and lavender, 'was your mind not occupied as such when you saw the events of the last invasion?'
'Do not hasten to forget, sister that I am worried for you. The last time you received a vision of such strength, you were weakened to the Shadows crawl, it almost destroyed you'. His lined face became more prominent as he moved toward her, removing his cloth hat and casting it aside, the light from the window slit glowed through his scraggy white hair.
Cassandra wanted to turn away from him, remembering their time, in what should have been a few weeks in Greece, a few weeks which had turned into years, it had happened so long ago, but the memory still affected her deeply. She had foreseen treachery and much death, been shunned for it and unable to change what she had seen, nor to help those she loved. It was from that time her name had come, her previous life, before they had become the seven, her name and life then seemed to belong to another person.
'Do not keep what you saw to yourself, sister'. Merryn's voice was stern and brought her out of her thought, 'relieve yourself of the burden'.
Their eyes met perfectly and the spell of silence broke immediately.
'There was a blade, short, perhaps a knife being struck into or onto stone. I saw the figure the voice in the cavern had been, he lived over a thousand years ago, bound to that cave. He will help us, he can be trusted, much knowledge lies there, but the elvern will claim we have no right to be there once they discover the depth of what can be learned there.
'I saw silence upon a hillside, men awaiting the call to battle, holding banners high, a banner I could not recognise against the English. Foreign invaders. The wind was blowing strong, damp earth and much loss, a shower of arrows raining from the sky, thunderous hooves and the death of the king, but not Edward.
'Then it changed, I saw the end of ways and the building of forts, chaos, fire and forge. Conflict ending and starting with blood. I saw a root swelling underground, it grew and grew, leaves flourished and yellowed, blowing branches and renewed leaves, in years to pass, the grip of Shadows dealing heavy blows to all, a light, a passing, a shadow, the ending. A shattering of light and shadow, an eruption through the veil, the other world, a door closing and the sensation of falling from a great height, a mirrored room, without mirrors, someone living on the other side there, but two sides having no contact but they know of the other, but know not that the other is close...'
Merryn stared hard at her, 'you have already interpreted much of this vision yourself, there is not much that I can say upon that'. He stood and turned his back upon her. For a long moment he was silent, Cassandra said nothing, feeling relief flooding through her to have finally conveyed her vision to him. It would be short lived, but the fate of their plans would be at hand should they act upon what she had seen.
'I think I saw Edith on the battlefield, after the battle, walking among the crows'.
'A fallen king that was not Edward and Edith'. Merryn said quietly. 'The king that had fallen could not have been the foreign king, for the change you described can only be attributed to fresh kingship, Edward must also fall, another to take his place and shortly follow him'.
Cassandra had thought of that, but she had not wanted to say it.
'The others should be made aware of this,' he said after another moment of silence, 'our plans for the meanwhile must continue, too much has gone into them to abandon at whim, but new plans must be drawn up. We must unite'.
'But it might be too late to send a message to the others, they were to stem the flow of anguish and hate, if they return their word may be hindered'.
'True, but what if we sent the others of our kind in their stead to take care of matters, for a short time and work out the new matters, we cannot ignore this vision neither can we allow ourselves to be clouded by it'. Merryn turned to her and smiled, 'be brave sister, we all must be'.