My meditation was strange.
It started normal enough, I entered the otherworld through cave and exited into the bright sunshine. It was all familiar to me, the edge of the forest, the pathway inside. The horse. He leant his head and nudged at me in greeting. I rubbed his nose taking strength from him. Then I swung around and up onto his back holding tight with my thighs looping my hands in his mane.
He ran fast and it took all my skill not to fall. We ran until we came to a cliff edge. I dismounted and walked to look over the edge. It was a long way down and seemed somehow familiar. I turned back and all things had changed. The sun had gone replaced by the light of the night goddess. My horse companion was gone and I was looking over a field. My dress had changed. It was older now, and my skin was adorned with woad symbols. In the field stood great stones in a circle. I knew them but not like this. In my day they were moss covered and half fallen. A man stepped from behind a stone and looked at me, there was worry and fear in his eyes, not for himself but for me. I knew those eyes.
“Colden?”
He grabbed me pulling me behind the stones.
“We have no time, they are coming for you. I fear I cannot protect you.”
I looked at him and suddenly it was not my eyes I looked through but hers. She raised our hand placing it to his cheek.
“I do not fear, if this is the will of the ancients then it is my time. And if it is not they will protect me”
We moved as one, she and I, quickly we ran circle within the stones our hand moving from one to the next. Then we moved with a determined step into the centre of the circle where we clapped our hands together and threw them out. I felt the buzz of the stones as a protective circle enclosed them, enclosed us. I raised my hands and saw them advancing. I saw the blade flashing in the light of the moon and wondered if it would flash with my blood.
I woke violently thrown from the meditation my breath coming in painful gulps.
