CHAPTER 5
Hattie continued, 'I have lived here for a very long time Abigail, as did Effie, the lady before me. It took longer than I had expected to find you. I would like to take my time to train you properly, but time is against us dear. They are rising again and we have to hurry.
You are from a special kind of breed, and only our kind can live here. We have a very important job to do, but we do it quietly, it wouldn't do to have people know what really goes on in this world.
You are now my replacement as 'The intercessor of the Netherworld'. I know dear, such a pompous title and such a mouthful, so let’s just say you are peace-keeper. There are good and bad all around us and every now and then one side wants to rule and when that happens; we are the ones who have to fight to keep the balance. The world, as we know it, would collapse if evil ruled and wiped out the good, but it would be just as bad the other way. We need both to survive. Now something is going to happen to upset that balance, we don’t know what yet, but we can feel it coming. We have to get ready for it now, so you are going to have to learn quickly.’
As she talked, I was transfixed by her, but at last my senses returned to the room and I noticed we were not alone. I hesitantly turned my head and was met with such an array of strange creatures. Some bigger than others, some flying around in little circles, many of them were so beautiful and others I could only describe as ugly. I thought my mind had gone, I just sat staring. Had I snapped? Was this what they meant by a breakdown? I shook my head and closed my eyes, then opened them again; they were still there, and I seemed to be the centre of their attention. Then Hattie spoke again.
'I see you have noticed our friends Abigail, they will be invaluable to you, let me introduce them all.' With that, one by one the little people, or whatever they were, stepped, or flew, forward to be introduced.
The first in line was a small man of about 3 foot in height. He had a brown face and was covered in sparse brown hair. He stood in front of me, nodded his head and smiled. With all my research for my books, I knew immediately, he was a brownie.
'Meet Clax, Claxton Metterhorn the 4th, to be precise, but he prefers Clax. I couldn't have managed without his help around the house all these years, and he is my oldest friend.' Clax smiled again, and looked so pleased and proud. Once I had said hello, he moved to go to the back of the room.
'Next is Drinad, he is from the Porhines people.' A rather small old man came forward, even smaller than Clax, his face all wrinkled with age, but a lovely twinkle in his eye. As he moved to the back of the room Hattie whispered in my ear, 'good natured little man but don't ride a horse near him at night, he can’t resist leading you to your doom. It’s not his fault; it is just the way he is, but that’s his only fault.'
The introductions went on. Gwent was from the Plant Rhys Dwfen tribe; he was very small but perfectly formed, and extremely handsome. Orchid was from the Sprites, she was a beautiful creature, tiny and slim. Oswald was a Sylph; he was a very tall and extremely thin man. Selena was from the Turehu, a beautiful fairy with long golden hair, larger than most of the other Fairies, and so the introductions went on, Fairies, Gnomes, Elves; Eventually I had met them all.
Throughout all this, something was bothering me, and eventually I said, 'How have you all come to be here? I know many of you come from Ireland, and Wales. I can maybe understand those of you from Scotland coming here, as we are not too far from there. Surely it is a long way to travel and I thought, from my research, that various tribes didn’t mix with each other.
A small beastly looking little man stepped forward. He had been introduced as Grenville, a troll. 'When we sense trouble stirring, small troops from the many clans are sent to help. It is in our best interests to pull together at times like this.’ He seemed to drift off, but continued talking, ‘I remember a time when they even came from as far away as India to help; of course that was when Effie lived here. I'm glad we won that one; life would have been so bad if Agred had won. Now he was evil and when……' It seemed he would have rambled on if Hattie had not stopped him.
'Yes, we all know Grenville, and one day you can tell Abigail the whole tale, but now is not the time to be telling stories. We can all feel the urgency and Abigail must be taught the basics, at least, if we are to stand a chance. I haven't got much longer in this world to help you all, so it is best we get started immediately' Hattie said. The room filled with rumblings of 'here, here' and 'poor Hattie.'
I managed to open my mouth again, ‘What basics? I don’t understand what you expect me to do.’ The only reply I got was ‘You will know Abigail, when the time comes.’
She quickly got everyone organised into groups to start my training. I had herb recognition with some, spells with others, enemy spotting with a third group and lastly potion making with Hattie. I really don't know why, but this seemed normal to me, I didn't question anything, I just went along with them and tried to do my best to learn all that was taught to me. Once I had begun, I wanted to learn all I could.
The time passed quickly, my days crammed with lessons. I loved every minute of it, except I must admit, enemy recognition, as it scared me. The creatures I was to fight against seemed formidable, and I didn’t see how I could ever defeat them. The names alone made me shiver; Eachy, Ettin, Hobbididance, Black Annis; the list seemed endless. My favourite lessons, however, were spell casting and potion making. I loved spending time with Hattie and seemed to have a flair for these particular subjects.
She taught me how to recognise the various herbs and how to mix them for different effects. I never knew there were masculine and feminine herbs and within these categories they were split into air, water, fire and earth. I found that plants such as, Cumin, Cedar, and Angelica root, was masculine and from the fire category; Whereas Burdock, Bramble leaf and Catnip were feminine from the water category and so on. I was so interested, prior to this I had only thought of herbs as something to add flavour to food. Their uses were amazing; protection, healing, curses and even to aid your love life!
Before I realised, a month had almost passed. Hattie had explained she would be doing a spell soon and wanted me to watch each step. A few days before; she had taken me to Seth, the old gardener, and had chosen a twig for him to cut from the big old oak tree in the garden and she had taken it into the kitchen. She had carefully stripped it of all its leaves and bark and then soaked it in rain water and left it for a couple of days. I had to check on it to make sure it was safe, and then she made me take it out, and said it must dry for 3 days. It was now the eve of the full moon and everyone gathered in the big kitchen. A candle was placed on the table and lit. Hattie checked the twig, nodded, and then placed the thinnest end into the candle. She left it there till the end was blackened. She then took a square piece of paper and wrote on it with the burnt end of the twig. There was silence throughout, until Hattie spoke;
'Mighty oak of ages past.
Watcher of the world and all that passes, Impart unto me thy knowledge.
That which has been brought to thee on the four winds and transferred to your heart from the depths of the earth.
Let no secret thing remain hidden, but rather as the light brings thee life, let the life bring unto me knowledge.
So this I ask, so may it be.
She then blew out the candle, and rolled the paper up, sealing it with the candle wax. We followed her to the garden where Seth had dug a small hole. The paper and twig were buried and rain water poured in a circle round the little burial plot.
She turned to me and said 'Be prepared for some strange dreams tonight dear, I have also put a few bay leaves under your pillow to help you remember them. I have asked for knowledge of what is being planned so we are better armed, and tonight this knowledge will come to you in your dreams.' I was shocked, to say the least. What if I couldn't remember, or got something wrong? I voiced my worries. A giggle went round the room. 'You were born for this Abigail. Did you never wonder where all your ideas for your books came from? They were all from inherited memories, you know the old saying 'writers write what they know about' well it’s mainly true. From the day we met, you have been drinking chamomile tea, this has helped awaken your memories and make your body and mind open to magic. Don’t worry you have been well prepared.' This explained my lack of protest to my new life, and why I was so ready to believe all I had been told. I was still not certain it would work but they would hear no more from me.