Alisaura
Blue Crack Supplier
Disclaimer: This is all a figment of my imagination, including the "figments" in Lisa's imagination... 
Mistakes are mine, lyrics are not.
end of chapter 13:
--------
"Then go and see for yourself, tomorrow."
"What's the point? If you're right, it means there's another mystery to try to explain, or leave unexplained, and more headaches. If you're wrong, then you're wrong."
"Aren't you curious?"
"No," I lied.
Ed looked at me for a long moment, green eyes calm and considering, and I wondered if he could see the division in my mind reflected on my face. "It's up to you," he said at last, and swung back into the saddle. Without another word, he rode off.
He can't have been having the same dreams, I thought sourly. He looked much better rested than I felt.
-----------
Chapter 14:
-----------
I disappear, I lost control
My body's moving all on its own
I watched myself, walk away
A foreign spirit took my place... I disappear...
That night's dream covered territory I'd seen before – the dream I'd had while in the hotel in Australia, set some time after Eleri's death. Ewain talking about building a stone circle on the already-sacred place, and then those plans being set into motion.
Mag had gone first to Alun, her mate, for comfort after Eleri had died, but it seemed that that hadn't been enough. Before long, she had found herself in a passionate love affair with Ewain, no longer a mysterious stranger, but a respected, and influential member of the community. Their fire warmed Mag after the pall of death she had lived through, and it was something that she simply didn't have with Alun. He was of Water, after all. And so he made no outward protest, apparently accepting the situation as it was.
The dream had ended with Ewain leading a contingent of men from the village out to the west, where this source of powerful stone could be found. Mag had wanted, at first, to use local stone, as all their building had used before, but Ewain had been insistent. This stone he knew about was special. The Ritemaster from his old village often spoke of it, he'd said. The very fact that Ewain himself so rarely spoke of his old home went a lot way to convincing Mag.
The tent was still dark when I woke up this time, and I groaned, rolling over in my sleeping bag. Why? Why the dreams? Why did Ed keep bugging me, and why did I keep listening to him?
I stuck my head outside, and saw the sky lightening to the east. It was also freezing, but I was wide awake now. Some remnant of the dream refused to leave me, though, and I couldn't stop thinking about the circle, and what Ed had said the day before. That was how I accounted for the fact that I was even thinking about following his suggestion, at least.
I might as well go, and shut Ed up, I thought. He was probably hallucinating. Once more, and then it's over. I dressed quickly, bundled against the cold, damp air in jacket and scarf and gloves and beanie, and started walking.
The sky grew lighter as I went, and by the time I reached the top of the hill, the whole east was ablaze, and the tops of the tallest stones were glowing gold in the sun's light. I turned around in time to see the sun rise in a truly glorious display. The air on the hilltop seemed to throng with golden light and ethereal beauty. The otherworldly atmosphere had intensified, and goosebumps covered me, regardless of the temperature. It was hard to maintain any sort of professional detachment. It felt... different.
After a minute of admiring the dawn, I remembered why I'd gone up there. Tiny drops of water shone like diamonds on every blade of grass at my feet, and all over the hill. I was stopped again in my thoughts by the glistening carpet... then I looked inside the circle of stones.
I moved closer, to the very edge, and crouched down. It was just as Ed had said, the grass inside looked bone-dry. Even in the stones' shadows. Outside the ring of stones, dew on every blade. Right on the boundary, much less. And inside, none at all.
A wave of cold prickles crawled over my scalp and down my spine, settling in my guts.
There had to be a reason for this. I stood up, and walked all the way around the outside, trying (unsuccessfully) to shake off the spooky atmosphere. I stopped between each stone and examined the ground. I searched the hilltop for other dry spots, and found none. Even the natural boulders were damp, although they were drying fast in the sun. I had sat down on one, thinking furiously, when Ed appeared.
"That was a magnificent sunrise," he said by way of a greeting.
"Oh no, you're not stalking me at all," I replied, my tone sarcastic.
"You didn't have to come," he shrugged.
I scowled at him, because while he was technically right, I had the feeling that he knew that something would propel me here, despite any of my protestations. He waited, infuriatingly calm in his ever-present black beanie.
"Okay! You were right, there's no dew. Happy?"
"Not really," Ed said, and I saw worry briefly touch his features. "This would have been a lot simpler if I had been wrong. But you've seen it too. It's real, and I have no answer for that. Do you?"
"Well," I began hesitantly, "it could be a different type of soil inside the circle. One that holds heat differently to the surrounding area, so dew doesn't form."
"What are the odds against that different soil all happening to be exactly inside this circle?" he asked.
"Enormous; but you're forgetting, the ground was here before the stones were. If this is some innate property of the soil here, the prehistoric inhabitants probably noticed it, assumed that this place was sacred, and built the circle here for that very reason."
Ed's eyebrows rose. "It makes sense," he said. I was a trifle annoyed that he seemed so surprised, but I think he wanted to believe that explanation as badly as I did. "Why, then, is there a perfectly circular patch of a different type of soil here, if it was here before human habitation?"
My mind raced. "This is a hill top – soil erodes away from the top first. The rocks beneath it are folded. There could have been different rocks exposed on the surface here, millions of years ago, which broke down into different soil. Or maybe the heat-retaining soil is underneath all the normal soil, and it's only exposed here because the rest has washed away. And do you know that the circle is perfectly round?"
"No, I don't." Ed was frowning in thought. "What about those soil cores you were taking last time? Did they show layers of different soil?"
Damn. "No, not from memory. Just that layer of ashes, with the same sort of soil above and below."
"Ashes?" Something gleamed in Ed's eyes at that. I explained to him what I remembered of the findings from the soil cores. He looked away, his gaze distant.
"It could be geothermal activity as well, although that seems very unlikely," I went on, trying to drive away the persistent goose-prickly atmosphere with more theorising. It didn't work. A breeze had sprung up, moving the grass in rippling waves. The shining droplets had evaporated, but the ground still exuded a cool dampness. Except inside the circle.
The eerie feeling seemed to seep into my skin, the longer I stayed there. I should have left already, work to be done... Ed was still staring into space, presumably lost in thought. Maybe I should just go. I stood up.
"Did you go inside the circle?" Ed said, turning around to pin me with a disconcerting gaze.
"Not today."
"I would have thought you'd want to examine all the evidence," he went on. "You didn't hesitate once before, or so you told me. What's different today?"
I couldn't look away. "I don't know. I don't feel like it."
"Are you afraid?"
"Of course not!" My pride was stung. I knew he was just saying it to make me go in, but what was the harm in that? I knew there were no mysterious powers lurking in there, waiting to whisk me through time or whatever. "Are you?"
Ed just smiled at me, eyes intense and unblinking. He held out a hand.
I strode past him, ignoring it. He turned and followed me, between the stones.
My vision blurred, and a wave of vertigo swept over me. I squeezed my eyes shut, and put a hand to my head, trying to steady it.
"Are you all right?" Ewain's hand lighted on my shoulder, his voice concerned.
"It must have been the sun in my eyes," I replied, shaking my head to clear it. I turned to look at my lover, the triumph returning to his face as he saw I was perfectly well. I might also have still been feeling the effects of the spirit mushrooms I had consumed earlier, before the ceremony.
"I told you this stone has power," he said, his voice low, beard tickling against my ear.
"You are right," I said, looking at the newly-raised Earth-stone, the first in the circle that would be built here. I had conducted a ritual all night, and it had been completed with the stone settling into place as the sun rose. It occupied the easternmost point. Ewain and I had stood inside the circle, and the weary village men were now resting across the rest of the hilltop. It had taken them a long time to transport the stone all the way from the quarry to the west and south, and there were many more stones still to come. But it would be worth it, they all knew.
"Next will come the Fire-stone, to the west," I told Ewain, although he knew this as well as I did. "Then the stones for Air and Water, and then the others. They will be smaller, at least."
"This was the largest one," Ewain agreed. "Are you sure we do not need a new altar stone, of the same sort?"
I shook my head. On this point, nothing he could say would sway me. "No. That altar goes into the very bones of the earth, it could not be moved, even if we wanted to. It is as sacred as anything here. You know that..."
Laughter was lighting his hazel eyes, and I realised he had been goading me, even as I liked to do to him. I smiled back, elated with how well everything had gone. Eleri would not be disappointed in me, I thought.
The village men began to move away down the hill, preparing to begin the day's work in the fields and pastures. There would be aching muscles at the end of the day, but it was all for the greater good. I didn't see Alun's lingering glance as he followed the others back to the village. I had eyes only for Ewain.
"We should bless this day," I told him in a low voice. I tried to keep my expression serious, as a Ritemaster is supposed to be serious, but some duties will naturally be more enjoyable than others. I began loosening the ties on Ewain's tunic, and his hands roved under mine. I reached up and kissed him, losing myself.
There was a confusion of arms, and hair, and clothes, and sweat, and breathing; and flaring, consuming desire. Urgent lips, facial hair. Half-uttered words.
-----------------
Mistakes are mine, lyrics are not.
end of chapter 13:
--------
"Then go and see for yourself, tomorrow."
"What's the point? If you're right, it means there's another mystery to try to explain, or leave unexplained, and more headaches. If you're wrong, then you're wrong."
"Aren't you curious?"
"No," I lied.
Ed looked at me for a long moment, green eyes calm and considering, and I wondered if he could see the division in my mind reflected on my face. "It's up to you," he said at last, and swung back into the saddle. Without another word, he rode off.
He can't have been having the same dreams, I thought sourly. He looked much better rested than I felt.
-----------
Chapter 14:
-----------
I disappear, I lost control
My body's moving all on its own
I watched myself, walk away
A foreign spirit took my place... I disappear...
That night's dream covered territory I'd seen before – the dream I'd had while in the hotel in Australia, set some time after Eleri's death. Ewain talking about building a stone circle on the already-sacred place, and then those plans being set into motion.
Mag had gone first to Alun, her mate, for comfort after Eleri had died, but it seemed that that hadn't been enough. Before long, she had found herself in a passionate love affair with Ewain, no longer a mysterious stranger, but a respected, and influential member of the community. Their fire warmed Mag after the pall of death she had lived through, and it was something that she simply didn't have with Alun. He was of Water, after all. And so he made no outward protest, apparently accepting the situation as it was.
The dream had ended with Ewain leading a contingent of men from the village out to the west, where this source of powerful stone could be found. Mag had wanted, at first, to use local stone, as all their building had used before, but Ewain had been insistent. This stone he knew about was special. The Ritemaster from his old village often spoke of it, he'd said. The very fact that Ewain himself so rarely spoke of his old home went a lot way to convincing Mag.
The tent was still dark when I woke up this time, and I groaned, rolling over in my sleeping bag. Why? Why the dreams? Why did Ed keep bugging me, and why did I keep listening to him?
I stuck my head outside, and saw the sky lightening to the east. It was also freezing, but I was wide awake now. Some remnant of the dream refused to leave me, though, and I couldn't stop thinking about the circle, and what Ed had said the day before. That was how I accounted for the fact that I was even thinking about following his suggestion, at least.
I might as well go, and shut Ed up, I thought. He was probably hallucinating. Once more, and then it's over. I dressed quickly, bundled against the cold, damp air in jacket and scarf and gloves and beanie, and started walking.
The sky grew lighter as I went, and by the time I reached the top of the hill, the whole east was ablaze, and the tops of the tallest stones were glowing gold in the sun's light. I turned around in time to see the sun rise in a truly glorious display. The air on the hilltop seemed to throng with golden light and ethereal beauty. The otherworldly atmosphere had intensified, and goosebumps covered me, regardless of the temperature. It was hard to maintain any sort of professional detachment. It felt... different.
After a minute of admiring the dawn, I remembered why I'd gone up there. Tiny drops of water shone like diamonds on every blade of grass at my feet, and all over the hill. I was stopped again in my thoughts by the glistening carpet... then I looked inside the circle of stones.
I moved closer, to the very edge, and crouched down. It was just as Ed had said, the grass inside looked bone-dry. Even in the stones' shadows. Outside the ring of stones, dew on every blade. Right on the boundary, much less. And inside, none at all.
A wave of cold prickles crawled over my scalp and down my spine, settling in my guts.
There had to be a reason for this. I stood up, and walked all the way around the outside, trying (unsuccessfully) to shake off the spooky atmosphere. I stopped between each stone and examined the ground. I searched the hilltop for other dry spots, and found none. Even the natural boulders were damp, although they were drying fast in the sun. I had sat down on one, thinking furiously, when Ed appeared.
"That was a magnificent sunrise," he said by way of a greeting.
"Oh no, you're not stalking me at all," I replied, my tone sarcastic.
"You didn't have to come," he shrugged.
I scowled at him, because while he was technically right, I had the feeling that he knew that something would propel me here, despite any of my protestations. He waited, infuriatingly calm in his ever-present black beanie.
"Okay! You were right, there's no dew. Happy?"
"Not really," Ed said, and I saw worry briefly touch his features. "This would have been a lot simpler if I had been wrong. But you've seen it too. It's real, and I have no answer for that. Do you?"
"Well," I began hesitantly, "it could be a different type of soil inside the circle. One that holds heat differently to the surrounding area, so dew doesn't form."
"What are the odds against that different soil all happening to be exactly inside this circle?" he asked.
"Enormous; but you're forgetting, the ground was here before the stones were. If this is some innate property of the soil here, the prehistoric inhabitants probably noticed it, assumed that this place was sacred, and built the circle here for that very reason."
Ed's eyebrows rose. "It makes sense," he said. I was a trifle annoyed that he seemed so surprised, but I think he wanted to believe that explanation as badly as I did. "Why, then, is there a perfectly circular patch of a different type of soil here, if it was here before human habitation?"
My mind raced. "This is a hill top – soil erodes away from the top first. The rocks beneath it are folded. There could have been different rocks exposed on the surface here, millions of years ago, which broke down into different soil. Or maybe the heat-retaining soil is underneath all the normal soil, and it's only exposed here because the rest has washed away. And do you know that the circle is perfectly round?"
"No, I don't." Ed was frowning in thought. "What about those soil cores you were taking last time? Did they show layers of different soil?"
Damn. "No, not from memory. Just that layer of ashes, with the same sort of soil above and below."
"Ashes?" Something gleamed in Ed's eyes at that. I explained to him what I remembered of the findings from the soil cores. He looked away, his gaze distant.
"It could be geothermal activity as well, although that seems very unlikely," I went on, trying to drive away the persistent goose-prickly atmosphere with more theorising. It didn't work. A breeze had sprung up, moving the grass in rippling waves. The shining droplets had evaporated, but the ground still exuded a cool dampness. Except inside the circle.
The eerie feeling seemed to seep into my skin, the longer I stayed there. I should have left already, work to be done... Ed was still staring into space, presumably lost in thought. Maybe I should just go. I stood up.
"Did you go inside the circle?" Ed said, turning around to pin me with a disconcerting gaze.
"Not today."
"I would have thought you'd want to examine all the evidence," he went on. "You didn't hesitate once before, or so you told me. What's different today?"
I couldn't look away. "I don't know. I don't feel like it."
"Are you afraid?"
"Of course not!" My pride was stung. I knew he was just saying it to make me go in, but what was the harm in that? I knew there were no mysterious powers lurking in there, waiting to whisk me through time or whatever. "Are you?"
Ed just smiled at me, eyes intense and unblinking. He held out a hand.
I strode past him, ignoring it. He turned and followed me, between the stones.
My vision blurred, and a wave of vertigo swept over me. I squeezed my eyes shut, and put a hand to my head, trying to steady it.
"Are you all right?" Ewain's hand lighted on my shoulder, his voice concerned.
"It must have been the sun in my eyes," I replied, shaking my head to clear it. I turned to look at my lover, the triumph returning to his face as he saw I was perfectly well. I might also have still been feeling the effects of the spirit mushrooms I had consumed earlier, before the ceremony.
"I told you this stone has power," he said, his voice low, beard tickling against my ear.
"You are right," I said, looking at the newly-raised Earth-stone, the first in the circle that would be built here. I had conducted a ritual all night, and it had been completed with the stone settling into place as the sun rose. It occupied the easternmost point. Ewain and I had stood inside the circle, and the weary village men were now resting across the rest of the hilltop. It had taken them a long time to transport the stone all the way from the quarry to the west and south, and there were many more stones still to come. But it would be worth it, they all knew.
"Next will come the Fire-stone, to the west," I told Ewain, although he knew this as well as I did. "Then the stones for Air and Water, and then the others. They will be smaller, at least."
"This was the largest one," Ewain agreed. "Are you sure we do not need a new altar stone, of the same sort?"
I shook my head. On this point, nothing he could say would sway me. "No. That altar goes into the very bones of the earth, it could not be moved, even if we wanted to. It is as sacred as anything here. You know that..."
Laughter was lighting his hazel eyes, and I realised he had been goading me, even as I liked to do to him. I smiled back, elated with how well everything had gone. Eleri would not be disappointed in me, I thought.
The village men began to move away down the hill, preparing to begin the day's work in the fields and pastures. There would be aching muscles at the end of the day, but it was all for the greater good. I didn't see Alun's lingering glance as he followed the others back to the village. I had eyes only for Ewain.
"We should bless this day," I told him in a low voice. I tried to keep my expression serious, as a Ritemaster is supposed to be serious, but some duties will naturally be more enjoyable than others. I began loosening the ties on Ewain's tunic, and his hands roved under mine. I reached up and kissed him, losing myself.
There was a confusion of arms, and hair, and clothes, and sweat, and breathing; and flaring, consuming desire. Urgent lips, facial hair. Half-uttered words.
-----------------
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That was...amazing. The circle is like a character unto itself. 
Hi Ali. I nearly missed it again..
Still, I caught it now. This is so good. I'm really interested to see how this is going to go... 
Science and Archaeology-nerd 
