bookseller said. “Why?”
“They begin the game to allow other pieces into play.”
“A player moves a pawn; his foe counters with a move of his own,” Merle said, eyeing Richard. “The same is true in Annwn and this world. Pawns are moving, pieces being pushed into place with victory as the goal. All I know is those pawns must be countered. No matter what you may think, Richard, I do not entirely see the forces that move to imbalance the world, only a suggestion of them in the air, on the earth, and at the edge of my awareness.” He paused. “That suggestion moved me to have Bran find you tonight and bring you here.”
“You still have not answered my question,” the knight said.
“I will get to it,” Merle said. “First, I must discover how much Bran has learned during his reading this past month.”
“I knew it,” Richard scowled. “There is no reason to include him in this.”
“There is,” the old man disagreed.
“I am right here, ya know,” Bran said, although Richard detected a bit of fear in the boy’s voice. “I can make my own choices. And if this has anything to do with what happened the other night and I can learn just what the hell went down out there in the Bricks, I want to know.”
“Very perceptive of you, Bran,” Merle said. “We certainly mean you no harm.”
“If you believe that, boy, then you are not as bright as I thought you,” Richard said.
“Hush, Richard,” Merle said, eyes flashing. “ Now .”
“I will not!” the knight raged.
“Look, I don’t know who you think you are,” Bran said to Richard. “But I have a right to know why that enormous dog thing came after me.”
“You are in no position to know what is best for you in this.”
“I will be the judge of that.”
“Fine,” Richard said, angry. “When it bites you in the ass, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“I meant what I said, Bran,” the bookseller asserted once more. “We mean you no harm. But you must hear what I have to say, now, before it is too late.”
“Has this to do with the other night?” Bran asked.
Merle nodded. “I asked you to read about pre-civilized Britain. Have you done so?”
“I’ve read a bit. A lot since the other night, in fact.”
“Then you know it was ruled by Celtic tribes before Rome added them to its Empire.”
“Right,” Bran said. “Julius Caesar conquered lower England.”
“This is a mistake, Merle,” Richard interrupted.
“Richard!” Merle growled.
The knight grew quiet. He hoped once Bran had heard what the old bookseller had to say, it would scare him sufficiently to ignore whatever request Merle had up his sleeve.
Then he would find out why Merle had brought up Elizabeth.
“Julius Caesar. Just so,” Merle resumed. “And what religion did he encounter there?”
“The Celts were pagans, I think,” Bran answered. “Believed in many gods and goddesses. Kind of like Rome.”
“Very true,” Merle said. “Christianity eventually grew in Rome and spread through the empire. When that happened, the religion the Celts practiced all but disappeared overnight.”
“How does this tie in with what happened to me?”
“What you experienced the other night was real,” Merle answered. “Celtic machinations with you at their heart. You were attacked by fey creatures this world has not known, at least in a real way, for millennia.”
“That can’t be true,” Bran said. “It’s folklore.”
“Indeed,” Richard said, not sure if he wanted to laugh at or chastise the boy. “Didn’t believe your own eyes, eh?”
“All folklore has a basis of truth,” Merle said, looking at Bran with an earnestness the knight knew to be all too dangerous. “The gods and goddesses Julius Caesar encountered and fought existed—and still exist. He went there looking for riches and resources to expand the empire. In his first effort, he encountered far more than he bargained for. The Celts, with the fey Tuatha de Dannan, repelled the
“They begin the game to allow other pieces into play.”
“A player moves a pawn; his foe counters with a move of his own,” Merle said, eyeing Richard. “The same is true in Annwn and this world. Pawns are moving, pieces being pushed into place with victory as the goal. All I know is those pawns must be countered. No matter what you may think, Richard, I do not entirely see the forces that move to imbalance the world, only a suggestion of them in the air, on the earth, and at the edge of my awareness.” He paused. “That suggestion moved me to have Bran find you tonight and bring you here.”
“You still have not answered my question,” the knight said.
“I will get to it,” Merle said. “First, I must discover how much Bran has learned during his reading this past month.”
“I knew it,” Richard scowled. “There is no reason to include him in this.”
“There is,” the old man disagreed.
“I am right here, ya know,” Bran said, although Richard detected a bit of fear in the boy’s voice. “I can make my own choices. And if this has anything to do with what happened the other night and I can learn just what the hell went down out there in the Bricks, I want to know.”
“Very perceptive of you, Bran,” Merle said. “We certainly mean you no harm.”
“If you believe that, boy, then you are not as bright as I thought you,” Richard said.
“Hush, Richard,” Merle said, eyes flashing. “ Now .”
“I will not!” the knight raged.
“Look, I don’t know who you think you are,” Bran said to Richard. “But I have a right to know why that enormous dog thing came after me.”
“You are in no position to know what is best for you in this.”
“I will be the judge of that.”
“Fine,” Richard said, angry. “When it bites you in the ass, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“I meant what I said, Bran,” the bookseller asserted once more. “We mean you no harm. But you must hear what I have to say, now, before it is too late.”
“Has this to do with the other night?” Bran asked.
Merle nodded. “I asked you to read about pre-civilized Britain. Have you done so?”
“I’ve read a bit. A lot since the other night, in fact.”
“Then you know it was ruled by Celtic tribes before Rome added them to its Empire.”
“Right,” Bran said. “Julius Caesar conquered lower England.”
“This is a mistake, Merle,” Richard interrupted.
“Richard!” Merle growled.
The knight grew quiet. He hoped once Bran had heard what the old bookseller had to say, it would scare him sufficiently to ignore whatever request Merle had up his sleeve.
Then he would find out why Merle had brought up Elizabeth.
“Julius Caesar. Just so,” Merle resumed. “And what religion did he encounter there?”
“The Celts were pagans, I think,” Bran answered. “Believed in many gods and goddesses. Kind of like Rome.”
“Very true,” Merle said. “Christianity eventually grew in Rome and spread through the empire. When that happened, the religion the Celts practiced all but disappeared overnight.”
“How does this tie in with what happened to me?”
“What you experienced the other night was real,” Merle answered. “Celtic machinations with you at their heart. You were attacked by fey creatures this world has not known, at least in a real way, for millennia.”
“That can’t be true,” Bran said. “It’s folklore.”
“Indeed,” Richard said, not sure if he wanted to laugh at or chastise the boy. “Didn’t believe your own eyes, eh?”
“All folklore has a basis of truth,” Merle said, looking at Bran with an earnestness the knight knew to be all too dangerous. “The gods and goddesses Julius Caesar encountered and fought existed—and still exist. He went there looking for riches and resources to expand the empire. In his first effort, he encountered far more than he bargained for. The Celts, with the fey Tuatha de Dannan, repelled the
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