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Authors: Mike Crowson
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as Steve put it."
There was a long silence, broken by an
uncomfortable sounding Steve. "She's right. Somebody else has to
put on the ring and see what we get."
"Before you get too excited," said Frank,
"remember the ring is bronze or at least copper. The owner got it
from his father early on in the bronze age. The ring may not have
much more of a story to tell anyway."
"Still, someone's got to try, otherwise
you'll all think I'm some sort of a nut case."
"We won't," said Gill.
"Well I might think that I am myself," said
Steve.
"All right, I'll try it on," said Gill.
Before anyone could argue she picked up the ring and put pushed it
onto the third finger of her right hand.
Chapter 7
I was about five summers old when they sent
me to train as a priestess. Five or six, I don't recall now, but I
do remember it was a long journey for a child. Well, it was a long
journey for anyone. Three weeks or more it took us.
Before I undertook such a venture my mother
and father went into the circle of stones and our priestess made an
offering. Only when she was satisfied that all was well did she say
that I could go and my parents solemnly kissed me goodbye. It's so
long ago and so far away that I cannot remember what manner of folk
they were. Good, ordinary folk, I suppose. I remember them only
dimly as warm and kindly persons who provided my food, warmth and
security. I recall them less clearly as individuals and not at all
as regards their status in the village.
We set off early and at first we followed the
river valley near home uphill, crossing the river when it was no
more than a stream and went down the far side of the mountains.
That part didn't take long and we were already going down when we
camped for the first night.
There was a woman to look after me. She was a
comparative stranger, since I hadn't seen her before she arrived at
my village a week earlier, but she was a kindly person and treated
me well. She was tall with an air of confidence that was not quite
authority. I think she would be in her early twenties, but she
might have been younger - after all this time I cannot be sure and,
in any event, a child as young as I was then is a poor judge of
age. Be that as it may, I became very attached to her and insisted
on sleeping with her when we camped, not that she seemed to mind. I
think she had an escort of only two or three and another four of
our people went with us as well.
We crossed several more streams, going
steadily down all the time. We rode for a time alongside a
substantial river to our left and camped the second night on its
bank. It was a grand camp as far as a small child was concerned.
The ponies we were riding and the two pack animals were tied for
the night, then three hide covered lean-to shelters were made from
cut branches. When the shelters were built, a fire was lit and
supper was cooked. I remember noticing that Nerfin, the woman
taking care of me, didn't eat the meat, though there was plenty if
she had wanted it. It's strange that I should remember a fact like
that.
There were mostly paths, though not always.
Sometimes there was a track leading to a bigger village and
sometimes no path at all and we just seemed to follow a river.
Usually we camped near villages and the people were friendly
enough, even treating Nerfin and to a lesser extent me, with
respect. Once we were invited into a village and Nerfin and I slept
in a house, but mostly we camped and Nerfin traded with the
villagers for food.
Then we followed another river, on the right
hand this time. I had never seen one so big, but remember first
that I was a child and second that I was untravelled. There were
more villages now and more people. The land was hilly and grassy.
There were tame cattle and sheep everywhere, with guarded pens for
them at night. Though I hadn't seen any wolves on my journey, I was
old enough to know them as a threat, but too young to realise that
they weren't much of a threat in summer,
There was a long silence, broken by an
uncomfortable sounding Steve. "She's right. Somebody else has to
put on the ring and see what we get."
"Before you get too excited," said Frank,
"remember the ring is bronze or at least copper. The owner got it
from his father early on in the bronze age. The ring may not have
much more of a story to tell anyway."
"Still, someone's got to try, otherwise
you'll all think I'm some sort of a nut case."
"We won't," said Gill.
"Well I might think that I am myself," said
Steve.
"All right, I'll try it on," said Gill.
Before anyone could argue she picked up the ring and put pushed it
onto the third finger of her right hand.
Chapter 7
I was about five summers old when they sent
me to train as a priestess. Five or six, I don't recall now, but I
do remember it was a long journey for a child. Well, it was a long
journey for anyone. Three weeks or more it took us.
Before I undertook such a venture my mother
and father went into the circle of stones and our priestess made an
offering. Only when she was satisfied that all was well did she say
that I could go and my parents solemnly kissed me goodbye. It's so
long ago and so far away that I cannot remember what manner of folk
they were. Good, ordinary folk, I suppose. I remember them only
dimly as warm and kindly persons who provided my food, warmth and
security. I recall them less clearly as individuals and not at all
as regards their status in the village.
We set off early and at first we followed the
river valley near home uphill, crossing the river when it was no
more than a stream and went down the far side of the mountains.
That part didn't take long and we were already going down when we
camped for the first night.
There was a woman to look after me. She was a
comparative stranger, since I hadn't seen her before she arrived at
my village a week earlier, but she was a kindly person and treated
me well. She was tall with an air of confidence that was not quite
authority. I think she would be in her early twenties, but she
might have been younger - after all this time I cannot be sure and,
in any event, a child as young as I was then is a poor judge of
age. Be that as it may, I became very attached to her and insisted
on sleeping with her when we camped, not that she seemed to mind. I
think she had an escort of only two or three and another four of
our people went with us as well.
We crossed several more streams, going
steadily down all the time. We rode for a time alongside a
substantial river to our left and camped the second night on its
bank. It was a grand camp as far as a small child was concerned.
The ponies we were riding and the two pack animals were tied for
the night, then three hide covered lean-to shelters were made from
cut branches. When the shelters were built, a fire was lit and
supper was cooked. I remember noticing that Nerfin, the woman
taking care of me, didn't eat the meat, though there was plenty if
she had wanted it. It's strange that I should remember a fact like
that.
There were mostly paths, though not always.
Sometimes there was a track leading to a bigger village and
sometimes no path at all and we just seemed to follow a river.
Usually we camped near villages and the people were friendly
enough, even treating Nerfin and to a lesser extent me, with
respect. Once we were invited into a village and Nerfin and I slept
in a house, but mostly we camped and Nerfin traded with the
villagers for food.
Then we followed another river, on the right
hand this time. I had never seen one so big, but remember first
that I was a child and second that I was untravelled. There were
more villages now and more people. The land was hilly and grassy.
There were tame cattle and sheep everywhere, with guarded pens for
them at night. Though I hadn't seen any wolves on my journey, I was
old enough to know them as a threat, but too young to realise that
they weren't much of a threat in summer,
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