The Golden Acorn (20 page)

They heard Nora calling them.

Camelin was already perched on the back of the chair by the time Jack arrived in the kitchen. His eyes were as wide as saucers. On the table Jack could see all Camelin’s favourite foods, at least the ones Nora knew about. It was a very special meal. Everyone had been invited. Motley and Orin sat at the end of the table on their upturned beakers surrounded by the rest of the Night Guard. Timmery was on Nora’s shoulder and Charkle on Elan’s. Even Gerda waddled in and settled down to watch them eat.

‘Just for tonight,’ Nora told Jack and Camelin, ‘you can eat as much as you like. You’ve both got quite a journey before you.’

When everyone had eaten their fill Elan stepped out onto the patio.

‘The light’s fading. Time to go.’

Nora took the golden acorn between her finger and thumb and held it up high so they could all see it.

‘This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for, thanks to Jack.’

Everyone cheered and wished them well. Jack stroked Orin and told her he wouldn’t be gone long, at least he hoped he wouldn’t. On his way up to the loft he took his wand back to his room and put it safely in the spine of his Book of Shadows. He sighed. He felt quite nervous. He had to succeed. This was their only chance.

‘Ready?’ Camelin asked when he was in the loft.

‘Ready,’ Jack replied.

They transformed and made their way to the top of Glasruhen Hill to wait for Nora and Elan to join them.

‘I want you to promise me you’ll come straight back through the window in time if you’re in any danger,’ Nora said to them both once they were all together again at the summit.

‘We’ll stay out of trouble,’ Jack replied.

‘Be careful,’ added Elan.

‘We will,’ Jack and Camelin said together.

Nora patted them both on the head and Elan stroked their sleek, black feathers. They all watched as Nora carefully placed the golden acorn on a bare rock in the exact centre of the hill fort before nodding and taking a deep breath. They took up their positions in the middle of each gateway directly opposite each other, Nora and Camelin at one end, Elan and Jack at the other. They watched and waited as the sun began to sink slowly below the horizon. When the sun had almost disappeared Nora and Elan began the ritual. They recited words Jack didn’t understand, words they’d been waiting to say for such a long time, words to send Jack and Camelin back to the right moment in time. Jack listened to Elan; he could hear Nora’s voice in the distance. Both began quietly, almost whispering, but growing louder and louder as the sun sank lower. The golden acorn began to glow brighter and brighter. When the sun disappeared golden rays of light spread upwards from the ground. Jack could see a shimmer in the sky overhead as the light from the acorn illuminated the thin veil of the window.

It was time to fly. Jack and Camelin took off from the ground, as they’d practised time and time before. They built up speed and rose into the air until at last they were an equal distance from the ground, high above the mid-point. Jack felt the air rushing past his head as he twisted his body; they flew towards each other at speed. In the split second before they flew past each other they pulled their wings in tightly to their bodies. Jack felt the warmth from the golden light of the acorn. He heard Nora calling to them.

‘Take care. Come back safe.’

Then everything went dark. There was a loud crack as they flew into the past.

It was difficult for Jack to reduce his speed. He’d been too busy concentrating on several things at the same time and hadn’t given much thought to what would happen once they’d passed through the window. He finally slowed and turned, then made his way back towards the centre of Glasruhen Hill, dropping in height as he searched the sky for Camelin. He knew they’d made it. Nora and Elan were nowhere to be seen and the top of Glasruhen was no longer deserted. Jack could see fires burning in the distance. The smell of wood smoke also came from various buildings, which were scattered around the summit. Instead of the usual bracing fresh air he so enjoyed every time he’d climbed to the top of the hill, the more unpleasant hint of a farmyard hung heavy in the atmosphere. The acrid smell of burning reminded him of Bonfire Night, only it was the wrong time of the year.

He saw a suitable tree for landing and swooped down. Once he was settled on a branch he looked closer at the scene below. Round houses of various heights and sizes were scattered over the hilltop. Lower down at ground level were more of the same. Apart from areas of dense forest the rest of the landscape, as far as he could see in the moonlight, was very similar to the one they’d just come from. The people who lived here were obviously farmers; fences and small fields surrounded each building.

‘Are you all right?’ Camelin enquired as he landed next to Jack.

‘I think so,’ he replied hesitantly as he adjusted to the different sights, sounds and smells. ‘Is this right? Did we come through at the right time?’

‘We did. Can you see the flames in the distance?’

‘Yes. Is that one of the sacred groves the Romans burnt?’

Camelin took a deep breath. There was sadness in his voice as he began to explain everything he could remember about the fire.

‘Only one of many they burnt to the ground. I collected the second cauldron plate from the grove you can see burning in the distance, then I made my way back to the sacred grove where Gwillam was waiting, just over there.’

Camelin nodded towards a dense area of forest beyond where Jack’s house should have been.

‘All these oak trees will be gone by tomorrow night,’ he sighed. ‘When the Roman soldier attacked me and left me for dead they torched Gwillam’s grove too. Nora rescued me from the flames. The trees were traumatised by the fire. There was nothing Nora could do to save them.’

‘Didn’t the people try to stop the Romans from killing Gwillam?’

‘I found out later he’d chosen to stay in the Grove and face the Romans alone instead of putting anyone in the village in danger. Word spread fast that the Romans were only after the Druids; they didn’t damage any of the farms. Gwillam rejected the idea of hiding. Not all Celts liked fighting and the Cornovii, who’d settled here, were a peaceful tribe, mainly farmers and craftsmen. The Romans left them alone as long as they didn’t cause any trouble and paid their taxes. The fortress, not far from here at Viroconium, got most of its supplies from the farmers in this area.’

It was unusual for Camelin to offer so much information; whilst he was in a talkative mood Jack wanted to make the most of it.

‘Were you born into the Cornovii tribe?’

‘Oh no, my people were here long before the Celts. The original people of this area were tall with dark hair, like Nora. Long before the first invaders arrived Glasruhen Hill was a place of worship. It only became a hill fort a lot later. All the people from around would gather here on special nights and celebrate together. Marriages would take place and acolytes would be assigned to Druids, but that was all a long time ago. I went with Gwillam to see some of the festivals; we’ll see them again once we get back into Annwn. We were lucky. In those early days the Cornovii were more interested in the land. They didn’t bother our people and they let the Druids continue to tend the sacred wells and groves. They realised how much knowledge the Druids had and allowed them to be their religious leaders. The two peoples sort of became one and the Romans just called everyone in the area Celts.’

Camelin paused but continued looking sad.

‘If only I’d been quicker and got back to the grove before the Romans got there. Gwillam would have been saved. Nora could have re-made the cauldron, opened the portal and we could all have gone into Annwn until the troubles were over.’

‘What do we do next?’

‘We need to be at the edge of the grove by first light, that’s where I was attacked, and then we can see what happened. With any luck we’ll be back through the window by breakfast time.’

Jack was glad they’d had such a big meal. He hadn’t thought about food until Camelin mentioned it. No matter what Nora might say it really was hungry work being a raven; since the first time he’d transformed he was ready to eat whatever and whenever he could, as well as his regular meals.

‘Speaking of food,’ continued Camelin as if he’d read Jack’s thoughts. ‘I could do with a bite to eat now while we’re waiting.’

‘Where are we going to get food from at this time in the morning? We’re not going to find a takeaway here.’

‘There’ll be food near the entrance to the shrine. The people looked after the Druids and their acolytes by bringing food. They weren’t allowed inside so they’d leave it by the entrance. Whatever we find there was really meant for Gwillam and me so we’ll not be stealing it, just rescuing it before it gets burnt. The Celts were very superstitious you know; in fact, most Romans were too.’

They flew towards the grove and just as Camelin predicted, there on a low stone platform, by two large oak trees, was a pile of food.

‘It’s not as exciting as a takeaway but at least it’s edible.’

‘It’s probably a lot healthier,’ observed Jack as he saw the collection of fruit, nuts and brown bread.

‘Oh, by the way,’ added Camelin, ‘Roman soldiers were always hungry too. They’d eat anything they could get their hands on and raven was on the menu!’

‘They ate ravens!’ gulped Jack.

‘Oh yes. It wasn’t anything personal. They ate crows, jackdaws, peacocks, geese and swans too; anything they could catch. We’re both going to have to keep well hidden and out of range of any arrows. I used to have a really hard time at first when I started flying around the area.’

Jack and Camelin ate their fill. They found a tree close to where Camelin thought he’d been attacked and settled down to wait for first light. As Jack rested he realised that Nora had been right. Returning to the past might be dangerous; the last thing he wanted was to end up being roasted by hungry Romans.

REVELATION

This was the first night Jack had ever spent in the open. He’d never slept on a branch before either. Not only was it uncomfortable but each time he nodded off he relaxed his grip and almost slid off his perch. He understood now why Camelin liked his raven basket so much.

Jack was still awake when the dawn chorus began. He wondered how Camelin was able to sleep through all the noise. People in the houses below were stirring too and starting their daily chores. He could see a woman in a woollen cloak visiting one of the fenced off areas. She stooped low and opened the door of a small hut; hens scurried out eager to leave their coop. They quickly made their way to the front of the round house and started scratching around a pile of grain. He watched the woman collect eggs from the hut and carefully place them in a basket. There were pigs in an enclosure next to the house and sheep in the adjoining field. He’d seen pictures like this in history books at school but this was real. It was happening before his eyes!

There was light on the horizon.

‘It’s morning,’ said Jack as he gently nudged Camelin.

‘I know. I’ve been awake for hours.’

Jack didn’t think that was true because mingled in with the dawn chorus he distinctly thought he’d heard Camelin snoring. He wasn’t about to argue the point; they’d got more important things to think about.

‘What next?’

‘We wait. It can’t be long. The Romans will be breaking camp about now and getting ready to march. They’re somewhere in the trees. You’ll see them soon.’

‘Now we’re here do you remember anything else about what happened?’

Camelin took a deep breath and sighed.

‘I remember running. I kept off the road and out of sight. I used the tall grasses and reeds for cover but their razor-sharp edges cut into my arms and legs. I couldn’t afford to stop and rest. I had to get back to Gwillam as quickly as possible. The two plates I’d already collected were safe inside my tunic. It was starting to get light when I arrived at the edge of the grove. I knew something was wrong; I’d expected Gwillam to be waiting for me. I kept out of sight and moved as quietly as I could from tree to tree until I reached the shrine. Gwillam was slumped across the well.’

Camelin stopped talking. Tears welled up in his eyes; he swallowed hard before continuing.

‘I was too late. I knew he was dead. I thought the Romans had taken the plate; the whole shrine had been ransacked. I remember sinking to my knees and biting my lip so I wouldn’t cry. I didn’t know what to do next. I couldn’t move or take my eyes off the well. It was then that the first rays of sunlight hit the water and I caught a glimpse of the plate’s reflection. It was still hanging on the sacred tree; they hadn’t taken it. I ran and grabbed it, stuffed it into my tunic with the other two, then ran as fast as I could towards Glasruhen Hill. It was too late to save Gwillam but I knew if I could get the plates to Nora it wouldn’t be too late to save everyone else. I didn’t get very far. As I left the grove I ran straight into one of them.’

Camelin sighed again and hung his head. They sat in silence watching the trees.

There was a flicker of movement.

‘Look!’ Jack whispered. ‘What’s that over there?’

Camelin had seen it too, a glint of metal and a flash of red.

‘Romans!’ he gasped. ‘This is it. You’re going to have to watch. I don’t want to see what they did to me.’

Jack didn’t want to watch either but if they were ever going to succeed he’d have to be strong and brave as the prophecy foretold. He had to know what had happened to the cauldron plates.

‘Wait here. I’ll go and have a closer look.’

‘Don’t let them see you,’ warned Camelin.

Jack glided down from the tree and landed as quietly as he could on a branch near the entrance to the grove. He felt quite shaken at the sight of a tall muscular soldier coming out of the trees. The leather straps hanging from his belt were studded and tipped with metal. They clinked together nosily as they bounced up and down on his red tunic. Another soldier appeared. He was obviously in command. On his head was an impressive helmet with the red plume of a centurion. In his hand he carried a tall stick with a silver top. Each segment of his polished armour glinted in the morning sun as he paced up and down. The first soldier saluted him. Two more came out of the trees and joined them, one leading a horse, the other a heavily-laden mule.

The centurion was about to speak when a boy bolted out from the trees and ran straight into his chest knocking the long stick out of his hand onto the ground. The first soldier Jack had seen quickly bent down and picked it up.

Jack gasped; the missing part of Camelin’s life was about to unfold.

He watched in horror as the centurion shouted angrily and struck the boy’s face. He gripped him hard around his shoulders and shook him violently. The boy struggled as he tried desperately to escape. More soldiers ran out from the trees and surrounded them.

‘Stand still,’ one of the soldiers commanded, as he thumped the boy hard in the back.

It must have hurt but the boy didn’t cry out, though he stopped struggling. The centurion took one hand off the boy’s shoulder and retrieved his long stick from the soldier who was holding it. He must have relaxed his grip on the other shoulder because the boy squirmed and wriggled out of his grasp. Once free he turned and kicked the soldier who’d punched him, as hard as he could, on the shin. He started to run. He dodged between the first two soldiers and sidestepped a third before the centurion bellowed loudly.

‘Kill him!’

The scraping of metal filled the air as every soldier drew his sword. One struck the boy on the back of the head. His knees buckled; his limp body dropped onto the damp grass. It was over so quickly. Jack could see blood flowing from the wound. He was frozen to the branch, his whole body rigid from shock and fear. He felt sick and was finding it hard to breathe. If he didn’t know better he would have thought Camelin was dead. The centurion prodded the body with his long stick.

‘Search him,’ he commanded.

Jack held his breath as one of the soldiers rolled the boy over and put his hand inside his tunic. He pulled out the three cauldron plates and examined them.

‘Only these,’ he said as he offered them to the centurion.

‘Nothing of value here,’ the centurion replied and tossed them into the grass. ‘Is the building alight?’

‘All is done centurion,’ the soldier announced. ‘The trees will be ablaze shortly.’

Jack could hear the crackling of branches as the fire began to spread.

‘We march to Viroconium,’ the centurion commanded as he mounted his horse.

The soldiers started to shoulder their packs and equipment and form rank. The soldier at the back bent over and picked up one of the cauldron plates. He examined it closely and then retrieved the other two from the grass. Before he shouldered his pack he slipped them into it. This was the information Jack needed. This was the soldier they’d have to follow. He looked carefully at the man’s face so he’d recognise him again. He had a scar on his chin but, apart from that, his uniform was identical to those of the other seven foot soldiers in the group. As they marched past Jack could see they each carried different tools. The one with the scar was going to be easy to follow; dangling from the back of his pack were the company’s cooking pots.

Jack flew back to Camelin. They watched in silence as the soldiers crossed the field and eventually joined the road. The sound of marching feet, rattling packs and clanking belts faded into the distance. The smell of burning drifted on the air towards them. The woman from the farm had smelt it too and ran inside the round building shouting something Jack couldn’t hear.

‘I couldn’t watch,’ Camelin said apologetically.

Jack didn’t want to talk about what he’d just witnessed. He nodded sympathetically to show Camelin he understood.

‘How long will it be before Nora finds you?’

‘I don’t know. I don’t remember. Nora said that when I didn’t arrive, and they saw the grove was alight, she came as fast as she could. Luckily I was this side of the fire. If I’d been caught at the other side or in the middle I don’t think she’d have found me at all.’

‘They’re heading for Viroconium,’ explained Jack. ‘The soldier at the back, with a scar on his chin, has all three plates inside his backpack.’

‘Time to go,’ said Camelin.

They took off and followed the soldiers. Jack needn’t have worried about long-distance flying. They had to stop several times and wait so they didn’t get too far ahead. In just under two hours the fortress came into sight.

‘I know this place well,’ Camelin told Jack. ‘Come on, we’ll fly on ahead. Follow me. There’s a good place to hide near the main gate. We can watch from there and see where the soldier goes.’

Once they were positioned in a large tree which overlooked a well-fortified gate Jack had a chance to look around. The fortress was rectangular with a gate in each wall. There were several small towers around the perimeter with larger ones on each of the rounded corners; a walkway ran around the inside of the wall. The most imposing buildings were near the centre and wide roads led into the fort from each of the four gates. Outside the perimeter wall were farm buildings and barns with the river behind. An important looking man stood in the doorway of one of the largest buildings.

‘That’s Quintus Flavius Maximus,’ whispered Camelin. ‘He’s the Camp Prefect.’

‘I thought there’d be soldiers everywhere. Why’s it so quiet?’

‘The Fourteenth Legion marched out of here a few weeks ago. I was here when they left. Some of us acolytes had been taking it in turns to watch the fort. I was in the barn down there; it was an amazing sight. It was only later we found out they’d been sent to the island of Mona on the Emperor’s orders. He’d commanded that all Druids be killed. Hundreds had fled there thinking they’d be safe with a stretch of water separating them from the mainland. They should have gone through the portals but they didn’t realise how much danger they were in. Maximus was left in charge when the legion marched. One morning, not long after the legion had left, a centurion rode out with a tent party, set fire to one of the groves and killed the Druid Dryfor. That’s how we knew we were in trouble. Nora said it wouldn’t be long before they reached Glasruhen and Gwillam started making plans for everyone to go into Annwn. You know the rest.’

‘He looks too fat to be a soldier.’

‘He is. He used to be one but now he’s too old to fight so he organises the running of the fort. He also makes sure that if any of the centurions find anything worth having he gets to keep it. Once I’d recovered I used to fly over here a lot. I’ve watched him sorting out his plunder. You should see what he’s got stashed in his quarters, gold torcs, brooches and a pile of metal objects. He’s greedy.’

‘What’s inside that open square behind him?’

‘It’s a shrine, dedicated to their goddess of wells and springs.’

‘Like Jennet?’

‘Not quite. This is a Roman Goddess; they call her Appias. They think she’s a beautiful maiden, a bit like the statues in Nora’s garden. When the commander left he gave Maximus instructions to make sure he honoured the goddess. He’s supposed to throw gold into the shrine so the water never dries up. He won’t because he’s too greedy to part with any of his gold. I’ve even seen him fishing out the offerings other soldiers have thrown in too.’