Excerpt Avalon
 

Prelude

Oct. 31, 2000

Come To Me
 

The applause was overwhelming. The Great Gwydo bowed deeply to his public, accepting their homage, but a close onlooker would have noticed a strange expression in his eyes. A look almost of contempt - but whether it was directed at himself or his audience was hard to tell. "And now for my Grande Finale," he said as the applause finally died down. He turned to the figure before him who seemed to be floating in thin air. "My dear?" Reaching out his hand, he pulled her upright. It was a strange sight as it seemed to happen in slow motion. Her body traveled through an angle of 90 degrees while her limbs remained perfectly straight, as if attached to an invisible board. She found herself staring into amazing coal black eyes and was aware of her hand in his. His fingers were like a fire, sending a bolt of heat coursing through her blood. Then Gwydo released his grip and motioned her to enter a box, which mysteriously appeared in the middle of the stage. The public was by now staring at the stage open-mouthed - too overwhelmed to even applaud. As if in a trance, she entered the box, and as she did so, Gwydo's fingers fluttered in front of her face and she heard him whisper, "Close your eyes." She was powerless to resist.

"I shall now combat the laws of science and prove to you that nothing is as you believe it to be." She heard the door of the box shut and a sinking feeling jolted through her stomach.

"It must be a trap door," she thought. "One of his assistants will be waiting at the bottom to tell me what to do next." As the sinking sensation ceased, she was aware of the brightness of sunlight on her face. Opening her eyes, she blinked - and to her astonishment realized that she was now standing outside the tent and she, like it, seemed to be floating a few inches above the ground.

Suddenly her fear was intensified by a voice deep inside her head. "Do not be afraid, my sweet. Come to me." Finding that her feet were now again touching the ground, she felt them taking her into the tent and towards the stage.

"Behold - the impossible!" said the figure on the stage, and all eyes turned to watch her entrance. She found herself returning to her seat in the audience as the applause finally broke loose. She vaguely heard the figure on the stage thanking his public - but she couldn't seem to concentrate. It was a while before she could hear anything except the echo of that voice in her head. "Come to me."

"Well ... how did he do it? Come on ... you can tell me! I bet it was a trap door, wasn't it? Donna ... wake up ... what's wrong with you?"

She could hear concern in Terri's voice and, shaking her head, she finally found her voice and turning in a daze to her friend, she stammered, "Uh - yes - I ... it was a trap door."

"Ah - thought it must be. But he was really impressive wasn't he?"

"Yes ... yes he was." But Terri didn't know just how impressive. What an earth had just happened to her? The only possible explanation that she could think of was that the magician had hypnotized her. She clung to the thought as a lifeline tethering her to reality. Any other explanation would have her doubting her sanity.

She spent the rest of the day in a trance. The childlike enjoyment she usually felt when visiting a fairground had evaporated, to be replaced by a sense of foreboding. The laughter in the crowd around her jarred in her ears and was tinged with hysteria. The bright lights seemed harsh and painful to her eyes. And throughout it all, the vision of the magician prowled through her thoughts. Apologizing profusely to Terri, who was obviously puzzled by the change in her friend, she told her that she was tired and wanted to go home.

It was a relief when she shut her apartment door behind her and could finally be alone with her thoughts.

It hadn't been a lie when she said she had been tired. Despite the early hour, she decided to go straight to bed. Exhausted though she was, she still took the time to carefully remove her make-up, hang up her dress and put her dirty clothes in the laundry basket. Perish the thought that she should break her everyday routine. She glanced around her flat. It was neat and organized. Just like her life. Nothing out of the ordinary. A place for everything - everything in its place. A tidy flat and a tidy life. That just about summed her up. She sighed and, turning back the fresh white sheets, climbed into bed.

As her eyes closed, she experienced a strange sinking sensation - identical to the one she had felt on the stage that afternoon. She was frightened and tried to open her eyes but when, with a great effort, she finally succeeded, she was shocked to find she could see only darkness.

She tried to move her arms and legs and to call out, but nothing happened. The sinking feeling had now stopped, to be replaced by a floating sensation. She tried to rationalize what was happening by telling herself that this was just a dream brought on by the strange experiences of the day. She would have pinched herself if she had been able to move her limbs.

She ordered herself to wake up, but it was useless. All she could feel was the frantic beating of her heart. It filled her body and overflowed into the world around her - increasing in tempo and volume until she wanted to scream out for it to stop. It was like a thousand drum rolls and, as this thought passed through her mind, she realized that was exactly what the sound had become. She wanted to block her ears from the deafening assault on them - but as the drums reached a crescendo, a blinding light seared through her eyes. Disoriented by the sudden attack on her senses, it took her a few seconds to adjust - but then she became aware that she was floating in mid-air, caught in the glare of a spotlight. She could feel thousands of eyes upon her and, to her utter mortification, she discovered that she was completely naked.

Suddenly the drums stopped and in the silence that followed, she heard Gwydo's voice echoing in the air around her.

"For my next trick I will take you back to a joy that you have missed for a thousand years."

Straining her eyes against the light, she tried to make out the faces of the audience but all that she could see were myriad eyes.

Gwydo waved his hands and she felt her body slowly revolving. There were muted groans from the throats of the assembled watchers as their eyes feasted on her body.

What the hell is happening to me? She was aware of the dark figure beside her chanting in a language she could not understand. An ancient instinct deep within her being whispered that this was a mantra spawned at the very beginning of time. She felt invisible fingers caressing her body. She gasped at the sexual shock that shot through her. No lover had ever touched her in this way. She fought against the feeling of complete vulnerability but she was helpless to do anything about it. She had sworn that she would never be vulnerable again but was powerless to resist. Waves of arousal coursed through her body. Her mind whimpered for release.

Then she was falling into a deep pit - screaming in terror. Fully expecting to die, her lips formed words of appeasement dredged from the depths of her soul. "Arianrod. My Goddess. I beg thy protection." The dark, hard ground rushed up to meet her, but instead of the deadly jolt she was expecting, her eyes jerked open and she found herself lying in her own bed - shaking and trembling. So, it had just been a dream. Yet, the discovery brought no relief. Just more terror. Nightmare or not, she was dismayed to realize that her passage into the realm beyond had awakened in her more real feeling and emotion than she had experienced for many years in her waking life.

The next day she was unable to fight off the dream. It floated through her subconscious refusing to be forgotten. The meticulous surroundings of her flat seemed to mock the chaos that was reigning in her brain and she knew she had to get out of there. Perhaps some rigorous physical activity would purge the poisonous memories. Although it wasn't her scheduled day to work out at the gym, she decided to break her routine for once.

To reach the gym she had to pass the fairground and an irresistible urge found her parking her car and making her way on shaking legs to the magician's tent. At least that had been her plan, but when she got to the place where it had been, there was only an empty space. Thinking she must have mistaken its position, she searched through the whole fairground ... to no avail. It had simply disappeared. " If it was ever there in the first place," a tiny voice spoke from the depths of her mind. She shivered.

"But I know it was there!" she cried. "I didn't just imagine the whole thing!" She had spoken the words aloud and looked around to make sure no one had heard her. Talking to herself. The first sign of madness. She shook her head in anger. "I am not going mad!" she shouted ... and realized that again she had been speaking out loud. "Terri!" she thought. "Terri was with me! She'll remember too." A wave of relief washed through her. Taking out her mobile, she quickly dialed Terri's number.

"Hi, Terri here."

"It's Donna, I?" But as the voice on the other end of the phone continued, she realized with a sinking heart that she was speaking to an answering machine.

"I'm sorry I can't talk now. I'm going to be out of town for a while. Leave your name and phone number after the beep and I'll get back to you."

What on earth? She'd only seen Terri the evening before and she'd not mentioned leaving town. And where would she go? Donna knew that Terri's only living relative was her ailing widowed mother and she lived in the same town. No way that Terri would just up and leave like that. Hurriedly she rang Terri's mobile number - only to receive another recorded message from Terri's answering service telling her that the phone was switched off. This was getting to be too scary. My only witness to the fact that I'm not losing my marbles - and I can't get in touch with her.

Stumbling back to her car, she collapsed into the front seat, her hands clasping the steering wheel, her knuckles whitening as the tension in her body built. She felt sick. Something was very wrong and she didn't know what to do about it.

Not trusting herself to drive, she sat motionless, staring out across the deserted fairground. The early morning breeze disturbed the flotsam and jetsam left by the previous night's visitors. A candy wrapper, caught in the wind's clasp, floated upwards and adhered itself to the windscreen of her car. For a moment, Donna stared at the colored lettering. "Magic Cookie Bar - just that little bit out of the ordinary," she read, and gasped. A distant memory stirred and she fought to recall it. Something that had happened a long time ago. Something from her childhood. She strained to remember but, to her frustration, the memory stayed just out of her reach. And then an icy chill swept down her spine. Another memory come back to haunt her, yet this one a lot more recent. She could clearly hear the haunting tones of the magician whispering, "Do not be afraid, my sweet. Come to me." But was it a memory? The words were so real that she actually turned around, expecting to find him in the car with her. Of course the car was empty and she moaned in fear. What was even more frightening was, though horrified at the thought of him being there, she realized that she was even more terrified of the thought of never seeing him again.

She had to get away from the fairground. Somehow, the magician's influence over her was stronger here. She had to escape. Wishing that she'd not succumbed to the urge to visit the place, she continued her drive to the gym. It was a miracle that she didn't have an accident on the way, as her thoughts were definitely not on the road.

Half an hour later, she started her work out on the Stepmaster and tried to ignore the feeling that something was happening in her life that couldn't be explained by normal logical means. Usually the exercise calmed her down, but this time the more energy she put into her movements, the more her mind became a whirlpool of confused and strange thoughts. Who was this Gwydo? And why did she have the feeling that she must find him again? It seemed as if he had now disappeared from her life leaving no trace - so why couldn't she just accept the fact and forget him? Get back to her normal everyday life, where nothing out of the ordinary ever happened. So - maybe she was stuck in a rut - but at least it was a safe rut. She'd never before hunkered towards excitement and danger. What had changed her so much that she couldn't seem to think of anything else except those dark penetrating eyes and the voice in her head? "Hell, Gwydo," she found herself thinking, "Why do you tell me to come to you and then disappear so that I can't?"

By now her movements were as frenzied as her thoughts. Her long black hair was tangled and damp with sweat - the same sweat that was running in rivers down between her breasts. Her heart was beating so hard it frightened her. "Maybe it's time to stop before I give myself a heart attack," she thought. But to her horror, far from stopping, she found herself quickening her movements. Her body simply refused to listen to the order from her brain to step down from the apparatus. She was becoming dizzy - and tiny pinpricks of light were mixing with the sweat in her staring green eyes. Everything around her began to blur into a myriad of shifting colors. There was a rushing sound in her ears and suddenly she was falling again. "Oh my God," she thought fleetingly, "This is getting to be a habit."

The smells and sounds of the gym faded, to be replaced with complete silence and a musty dank scent that was somehow familiar. She knew that she had smelled it before. It had been a long time ago - she knew that - but when? Suddenly the silence was broken by a small child's voice.

"Mummy. Daddy. Please let me out now! I promise I'll be a good girl. I didn't mean to get my dress dirty. It was the candy bar the man gave me. I won't do it again. Really I won't! But please - I don't like it in here. It's cold and it's dark - and I'm frightened."

Donna's eyes snapped open to see a small figure standing a few feet in front of her. The child's eyes were red rimmed from crying and she was shaking in fear. Donna's first reaction was to reach out her arms to comfort the terrified girl, but as she did so, she heard another, oh so familiar, voice.

"It's no good. She can't see you. For her, you don't exist - you are living twenty-five years in her future."

Turning, she found herself staring into those dark eyes that had been haunting her ever since she had first seen them.

The fear she had been feeling faded, to be replaced with a sensation of resignation. It was as if she knew that this was meant to be. "Oh - it's you. I had a feeling you'd be here. But who is the little girl? And what am I doing here?"

"I don't need to tell you that. You just need to look deep inside yourself and you will know the answer. When you have discovered your hidden secret, come back to me." And with those words, he was gone.

He was right. However much she tried to deny the fact, she did know the answers - the answers that had been veiled in denial all her life. This was where it had all started. This was where she had begun to build the barriers. Here at Avalon.

They had stayed in the cottage for a year when her father lost his job. The house belonged to her father's eccentric aunt - a strange, solitary woman who lived in a dream world. Donna was frightened of her and avoided her whenever possible, believing the mysterious woman to be a witch. Perhaps she hadn't been far wrong. Donna hadn't liked it there. The place was full of dark shadows and voices when no one was there. A sensitive child, she was sure that things had happened there that were better left to rest.

No one else seemed to hear the voices and she tried to tell herself she was imagining them. But they were so real. Shadowy images of strangely clad figures would invade her dreams and haunt her waking hours.

She had tried to tell her parents about the voices but they had been angry with her - telling her that she was a silly little girl who made up stories.

She had been four years old and had already learned in her short life that it was better to obey than rebel. Otherwise, nasty things could happen to you, like being locked in a dark cellar without any supper if you talked to common fairground entertainers. She remembered now. Her love for magicians had started that day.

The fair had been crowded. Somehow, she had become separated from her parents and he had found her, crying and terrified. He had been so kind to her - had told her how pretty she looked in her party dress and given her a chocolate bar. And then her parents had found her - and they had been so angry. She didn't know what she had done wrong - except that she had dirtied her party dress with the chocolate - so she guessed that must have been the reason. She didn't understand why her parents had shouted at the nice man. "We know your kind. You keep away from our little girl or we'll have the police on you." But before they had snatched her away, she finally remembered the words the man had whispered in her ear. "Don't let them frighten you. If you need help, come to me."

At first she thought that he had meant her parents, but later she had begun to wonder if he had not been referring to Avalon's ghostly occupants. She learned that normal people didn't hear voices that were not there, and she no longer spoke of them - had pushed them away from her. Yet she knew they were still there. All around her. Only waiting for a sign of weakness to snatch her away from the real world into their realm of dreams. It frightened her. Was there a core of madness deep in her soul? Her only defense was to grasp control and encase her fantasy in the ice of reality. And she had been doing that ever since.

Again the sensation of falling. By now, she was getting used to it. Then she was back in the gym with curious eyes all around her. Brushing off the concerned hands that offered help, she grabbed up her things and fled the room.

She knew now where she would find Gwydo. Back at the cottage. It was there that her hopes and dreams had been frozen in time and she needed to set them free.

The next day, she was standing in front of her childhood home. It seemed that Fate had decided to lend her a helping hand. Or perhaps it was ordained. That events had been planned by an unseen hand that had brought her here at exactly this time. She had discovered that the cottage was up for sale and had visited the estate agent. He wanted to accompany her to the property but she managed to persuade him that she would rather view it alone.

The place looked exactly the same as it had twenty years ago - the shady lake, the sheltered churchyard and the house itself. Built on the ruins of an old castle, the locals spoke in whispers of old legends that surrounded the place. Its black and white timbers, stark in the summer sun, still had the power to make her shiver.

Slowly she walked up the garden path and opened the front door. A wave of musty air met her. "Oh my God. It even smells the same."

Now that the moment had arrived, she felt like running away, but wasn't that what she had been doing all her life? It was time to put old ghosts to rest and she had to be strong.

As she entered the cottage, she had the strong impression that she was interrupting something. The strangest feeling - as if she had inadvertently pressed the pause button on the video of life. The house seemed to be holding its breath.

Forcing herself to ignore her feelings, she walked into the living room and almost screamed. For a second, she could have sworn that she saw a fleeting figure of a man in uniform crossing the room in front of her. And then the voices began.

Fragments of conversation assailed her ears.

"Oh my God, what is happening? How can anybody treat his own kin so?"

"Why are you taking me outside? I'm tired. Please stop."

"Maybe it's not the end, but the beginning, but I would like to have known."

"Are you ready to celebrate your eternal youth again?"

"If you really want to know, I was just thinking what would be the best way of killing myself."

Timeless tale of torment's tears.

Raging rapture reappears.

She tried to block out the words by pressing her hands over her ears, but the voices seemed to be just as much in her head as they were in the room around her. She caught a glimpse of her face in the mirror on the wall and turned pale. The reflection was misty but her image was not alone. She saw other faces flashing before her eyes. A young girl, clad all in white, her eyes filled with fear; a limping man, arms outstretched, searching for something just out of reach; a figure, clothes ripped and torn, with blood streaming from his face; and many more. She closed her eyes in fear, and when she opened them again, the images had disappeared - at least most of them. Standing behind her, she saw the one vision she had expected to meet there ... Gwydo.

Spinning around, she found herself looking into the darkness of time as Gwydo started to speak.

"I am here to make you whole again, my child. To make you understand that your gift is one of wonder, not of madness. Look into the mirror and observe carefully. It will show you the Truth of Avalon," and, reaching out, he took her hand in his. Heat coursed through her body at his touch.

"Behold the landscape of your existence. Wild nightmares, yet unbroken, strain your body to its limits and gallop wildly ... blindly, to overcome the obstacles of life. Trees without leaves, their sturdy trunks laid bare, block your path. Proud and rampant, they rise to the challenge of the elements. Rock, as hard as diamonds, glints in the sunlight. An avalanche of excess, obliterating all that is without substance. Yet do not ignore the cascading crystal waterfalls of hope that cast a rainbow-misted dew. They form a stream of liquid consciousness that flows through your life, carrying the very essence of your being into that great ocean called Life."

As he began his tale Donna realized that the time had come to release her dreams. After all the years of confusion, she was finally going to understand the mysteries that had plagued her childhood and frozen her emotions. She watched in wonder as the past was played out before her eyes.



Chapter 1

Banished


The final rays of the setting sun illuminated the sky in shades of orange and purple, silhouetting the two figures on horseback against its background. They rode side by side, their horses' hooves disturbing small clouds of dust, which settled slowly behind them, marking their progress through the otherwise silent landscape.

The sun gradually disappeared below the horizon and the first stars appeared in the sky. The full moon shone down, casting a silvery glow upon the Woman's waist-length black hair and her translucent skin. Banished from the world they knew, their vulnerability heightened by the barren countryside around them, now they were truly alone, as they had never been before.

As the trail steepened, the horses slowed, and, sensing their exhaustion, the riders reined them in. Still they did not speak but instead sat as statues contemplating the emptiness surrounding them.

The Woman turned to the Man and he searched her eyes, looking for the condemnation he expected to find there. He had failed her and fated her to live out her life as an outcast, but her eyes reflected only the moonlight in her tears. His heart broke and he too could have wept as he saw her hold out her arms to him.

Dismounting, he approached her and, slipping from her horse, she fell into his arms. Now he could read her eyes, and they mirrored his own in fear and confusion, but there was also forgiveness there, and to his amazement, love. How could she feel love for him after the mistakes he had made, he asked himself. He knew he would love her to the end of time but it was beyond his wildest dreams that she should love him.

His arms enveloped her and, as he kissed away her tears, he felt her cling to him as if he was the only solid rock in the midst of an avalanche. Their bodies entwined, and, willing their minds to forget their hopeless circumstances, their lovemaking was wild and free. Frenzied. Yet tender. Sensitive. Yet wanton. Cutting out the unforgiving world around them, they took comfort from the only thing they had left, each other. For one beautiful climactic instant, everything was forgotten as their cries echoed up into the midnight blue sky.

Yet this was but an interlude. Their love for each other had faced the test and emerged triumphant, but their people were not so forgiving. They had defied the gods and defiled all that was sacred. The Man chastised himself for his stupidity and weakness. Why had it happened? It had been his destiny to lead his people along the true path of righteousness. His whole life had been dedicated to relinquishing all worldly pleasures and embracing only the spiritual. Yet the very first time his faith had been put to the test, he failed to conquer temptation.

Oh, he had resisted at first - had punished his mind and his body for their betrayal of all his beliefs - but even when his body was filled with hunger and pain, he could not exorcise her from his thoughts. She would enter his dreams at night and tend to his wounds ... her gentle touch soothing and tormenting simultaneously. He had known that his love for her could prove fatal for both of them, yet still had been incapable of denying it.

She had as much to lose as he did - perhaps more. As High Priestess, she was the chosen one and for her to give herself to a mere mortal was a deadly sin. But she had not hesitated in sharing her body with him.

It had been naive of them to think their actions would go unnoticed and, when discovered, they had been lucky to escape with their lives. The people had screamed for their deaths and it was only the intervention of the tribal elder that had saved them. Yet, perhaps execution would have been easier to bear. It would, at least, have been quick. Now they had to face a journey for which neither of them was prepared, with only enough food and water to sustain them for a few days and no means to find new. It seemed that ultimately death would be the final punishment for their unwise love.

They had already been traveling for six days, and in all that time had not seen a single living entity. Their water supply was exhausted and they were surrounded by bare rock and dry dust. If they did not find water soon, they would die slowly of thirst.

Still the Woman had not given up on her Faith. Kneeling amidst the dust and sand, she began to pray. He was astonished that she should still believe that the Goddess would listen to them. Surely the prayers of a sinner could only be received with the wrath of vengeance. He looked up into the night sky in trepidation. Was it his imagination or did the sky seem darker than before? No - he was right - he could see dark clouds beginning to slowly cover the moon. It was getting colder and he could hear the distant rumble of thunder. In utter terror, he waited, expecting a lightning bolt of fury to hurl down and destroy them. The Woman continued to pray, seemingly oblivious of the blackness descending upon them. He wanted to grab her arm, beg her to stop - maybe it wasn't too late. But he was incapable of moving - could only stare at her vulnerable figure, head bent in silent supplication.

And then it happened. The black clouds cloaked the moon. Thin tendrils of mist solidified ... emanating from the kneeling Woman ... growing in intensity as the Man watched. Falling to his knees in abject obeisance, primeval panic filled his soul as a terrible apparition formed before him, an ancient figure, cloaked in black, holding a silver sickle in her gnarled hand - Black Anna of the Forbidden Mysteries, skin and hair deathly white, with nine blue stars surrounding her ghostly form. He knew her as ... the black raven ... harbinger of Death.

In despair the Man cried, "Ceridwen - I beg of thee. Return to us what we have lost." Lightning flashed and from the Goddess's heart a butterfly of love was born, gossamer wings shimmering in the half-light. Clasping it tightly, the Man cried in joy. And then Ceridwen spoke. "I cannot return that which was never yours to own." The Goddess vanished and, opening his hands, the Man's tears fell on dusty Death.

So this was to be their fate ... Death and eternal banishment from the spirit world. He had surely known that no lesser punishment could be their due for their sacrilegious act.

Still the Woman prayed, her Faith stronger than his. A beam of moonlight cut through the veil of darkness, illuminating the Woman's glinting eyes, black mirrors of the unknown, reflecting her terror. Yet, like an alabaster statue, frozen in time, her Faith sustained her. Another specter began to form, born from the moonlight - the Sky Goddess, Arianrhod. Seated on a throne of amber, blue flames surrounded her large winged form. Millions of stars glinted in her waist length hair. Phantom fingers explored the Woman's body. Strange sensations speared her soul. Desire ignited deep within. She trembled - tense and taut - her climax building in her throat. She screamed in joy. Spirit music filled the air, awesome threads of sound weaving a tapestry of peace. The figure smiled. "It is not the time to despair my children. Although Death is ever present - so is rebirth. Come unto me and thou shalt be healed."

The Man felt himself being gently raised to his feet by godly hands. He stood before the Goddess, his legs barely supporting his trembling frame.

"Thou hast no need to kneel before me, my child, for thou art no subject of mine, but my equal. Thy mortal bonds are but an illusion and it is time for thee to cast them off and meet thy destiny."

His mind was in turmoil. Her words wove a picture in his head, but its pattern was pure chaos.

She saw his fear and confusion and, taking pity on him, said, "Thou needst know of thy birth, Gwydion."

"M... my birth? I do not understand. I know my father was killed in the wars of Abeyance and my mother died in early birthing of me. What more must I know about my birth?"

"It was essential that thou shouldst believe thyself human. There was a child born in such circumstances, but it was stillborn. Then a baby was found abandoned in a local temple, wrapped in a cloth of pure gold and bearing the mark of the sun god on his forehead. That baby wast thou. Only the village elder and the High Priestess know of thy true past."

"You mean ... I am a god? But I have no special powers. That cannot be."

"Thy father was a mortal - a priest of the highest blood. Thy mother fell in love with him and, disobeying all our laws, let him father a child by her. That child would not have lived if we had not had plans for it. Our subjects art losing faith in us. Our domain has become a Wasteland. Because thou hast lived as a mortal all thy life, thou hast the knowledge to link the gods with their people. Thou hast honored and cherished thy lover, Danau, and now art the bridge between us. Throughout eternity, thou shalt return to this place - Avalon - the home of rebirth - and remind our subjects of our power. Thou shalt encounter many trials and must endeavor to fight Evil and maintain Good. There shalt be times thou wilt fail in thine efforts and Evil will triumph, but that will never be the end, for our power is immortal, as art thou now."

"You mean you are gifting us the power of immortality?"

"Yes, Gwydion. Avalon is eternal and thou art woven into its mystic threads. Life and death no longer have a meaning here. Go forth my children and face the future. Thine lives shalt be lived for eternity."

As the scene faded, Donna gasped and turned to Gwydo in amazement. "Th ... those people," she stammered, "They looked just like us! How could they? This can't be true."

"Ah, my sweet. It seems the centuries have drained your Faith. Now it is my turn to be strong. Let me help you. The story is just beginning. Watch. And learn."


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