CHAPTER 23
When Taliesin had been fed and was relaxed; we asked him about his journey. He had not dared use his magic to travel, he told us, as he knew it would be detected immediately. He knew if the Intercessor wanted him, then so would the enemy.
He had travelled some of the way as a mortal. He had found the going so hard; he was about to just find shelter and give up. As luck would have it, he had been grabbed by a group of Grogoch and hidden, just in time, as a small tribe of Dullahan passed nearby.
The Grogoch were small and very dirty. They wore no clothes but they were very hairy and covered in dirt and twigs. They may not look nice or have good hygiene; but they were friendly and didn’t mind helping out when needed. Their quick thinking had saved Taliesin.
The Dullahan, on the other hand, were evil beings. They travelled on horses and had no heads on their shoulders; they carried them under their arms. They used a human spine as whips for their horses. Any mortal who came into contact with them would inevitably die. They had most certainly been sent out to look for Taliesin, and kill him before he could get to us.
The Grogoch had kept him hidden and sent word ahead amongst the Netherworld. They managed to set up a network of Fairy folk to help to get him across to England, and then onto the Intercessor. So once more he had started on his journey, but this time, he had found it easier.
Once through Liverpool; he had been handed to the Twylyth Teg, the fair ones, to be taken across the fairy hills of Cumbria and on to Kelloe, near Durham, where our cottage stood.
He had arrived late in the night only to be set upon by a huge grey dog. He had thought he was about to die and had shouted out for help and screaming, his name and how the Intercessor had called for him. Luckily for him, the dog had disappeared as Seth came to his rescue.
I knew I had been right, my lovely nocturnal dog was my protector, and although he had been wrong in his judgement, he had stopped the attack when Seth came, I smiled.
Once Taliesin had finished his story, he turned and looked expectantly. It was now my turn to explain why he had been called for, and therefore, the reason for his long journey.
I took a deep breath, and outlined my plan to him, at the same time doing a very mortal thing; I had my fingers crossed behind my back the whole time. I told him he would be protected, and the spell was sure to work. We had to wait for an answer, however, as he decided he needed to sleep and have time to think. Once again we returned to out beds. We left instructions with Clax, not to let us sleep late the next morning. If Taliesin agreed, then we must be ready to begin straight away. All we could do was hope for sleep and a good result in the morning.