On a clear Fall morning, on a hillside just south of Hadrian's Wall, a boy hears thunder, and looks, puzzled, at a cloudless sky. He pales, sure this is no natural thing, then turns as he realizes the sound is not from the heavens but the hills around him.

And so it is, as he squints into the first light of a new day, that he sees a tide of hoof and mane and tail crest over the top of the hill and begin its wild descent down toward him.

He falls to his knees, and waits.

********

"Shane! Wake up, boy! It's time." Someone shook him slowly and he nodded, rising up on one elbow to look at the tall figure that loomed over him in the dark room.

"Yes, uncle." He pushed aside his covers, swung his legs over and grabbed the pack lying on the floor by his bed as he stood.

"Ah..yes..so I see.. Most efficient, sister's-blood, to have slept fully dressed."

"That's what I thought!" Shane started for the door, not seeing his great uncle Ashe cover his mouth and smother a laugh.

The boy was too excited; he'd fairly leapt into the air when told he was coming with his father and Ashe to fetch the horse for Lady Touchfire. A trip to the Green Silences, to see the Horses of Dawn! It was all Shane had thought about for the last few days, and now, at last, it was time to go.

Lumiere met them at the foot of the stairs, silently handing them both a small sack containing food for the journey. The big barkeep gave Shane a wink and pressed an apple into the boy's hand, then walked back into the kitchen before they could thank him. Shane took a bite and looked up at Ashe. "Where's Da?"

"Outside, in the courtyard, waiting. Come along, nephew. We have a bit of a ride ahead of us, even if it is on the Road." The tall elf barely had the chance to finish before Shane ran out the Great Hall door and into the darkened courtyard where Ian Blackthorn held the reins to three horses as he stood quietly. Ashe took one set as Shane took his and eagerly climbed into the saddle of his own mount. There were several of Ian's guards on duty and as one soldier stepped forward, Shane smiled, recognizing the grizzled Sergeant Timmons.

"You sure this is a good idea, taking the boy out past midnight on a ride? Does m'lady Skye know what you be about, Lord?"

"Lady Skye knows, Timmons. We'll be back in a few days. Marcus is in charge until I return." Blackthorn mounted up and nodded to the men. "You keep a sharp eye for Talor and for those two boys. And you stop the bets on Lady Khristina's bairn, Timmons. You've got most of the barracks in on it and at one day per man, she'll have to be pregnant two years for it to be a fair wager!" There was a ripple of laughter, then Shane's father turned his horse towards the main gate and the three of them rode off into the night.

Shane had all he could do to keep from racing on ahead of the adults.
He was going to see the Green Silences.
He was going to see his Great Grandfather.
But, more than that, he was going to see the Horses of Dawn.

10/2000


Horses of Dawn II

"He's going to fall off that horse from fidgeting back there." Ashe grinned at his nephew and took a quick glance over his shoulder. Indeed, Ian's son looked ready to burst. " I doubt it. He was taught by two very good riders. You, on the other hand , look stiff as a log. Be easy, sister's-son. Things are no matter what they once were between you and the clan."

Ian nodded, letting a few more minutes pass before speaking again. "You spoke to Grandfather? He knows why we are coming?"

"Aye. He agreed with me. It's time you and Shane visited, to make plain you are no longer not-kin. Evaynan wants others to see us together, peaceably, so that it can not be said it was a mere formality performed at the Mid-Winter Progress. Fetching a Sithryn mount as a gift for your friend gives us the means to that end." Ashe drew rein and looked about. They were a few miles outside of the city now and on the river road, next to where the water flowed free and clear. A potent place for opening the greater Road between the Planes. He nodded. "This will do."

On most occasions, Ian would have summoned the Road himself, but the circumstances this time dictated otherwise. He had not visited the heart of the Green Silences since his exile, only the shadows and pockets left behind on the plane where he'd been born. And for this trip they were really journeying to the deepest parts, to the Fields of Dawn, the place where tradition said the Sithryn first walked the earth, and where their horse had been created. So with Shane beside him he waited for Ashe to summon the Road, and then, when the entry appeared, followed Ashevathallion into the mists.

********

Echoes.
They fascinated Shane. Even as he kept his horse moving forward after those of his elders, the boy kept his head cocked slightly and listened intently. He'd been on the Road before, of course, on trips of some sort or another with his parents, and every time he'd heard things that tugged at his imagination: voices, sometimes in languages he did not understand, faint as whispers, but in tones that if heard at full volume might be screams or cries or even commands; and sounds: horses, hounds, the crash of sword on shield, once even, he thought, the sound of Arianrhod's silver bells chiming softly out of the darkness. His Da had met the Goddess on this Road, and Lord Arawn 's Wild Hunt as well. Shane shivered slightly, but even as he did, he kept looking and listening, his attention kept on detecting the least sign that they were about to see or meet something magical as they made their way upon the Road.

But they continued on unchallenged, and after what seemed to be an hour (one could never be certain of Time on the Road if they traveled great distances.) Ashe gestured and the mists whirled away on a moaning wind. The three riders were now sitting in a grove, full of the biggest trees Shane had ever seen in his young life, a white fog clinging to the trunks even as sunlight began to filter down to burn it away. Ashe did not hesitate, turning his horse towards an opening between two of the trunks. "This way to the Field "

There was a whistling sound, and from out of the fog an arrow flew and struck Ashevathallion full on in the chest.

10/2000


Horses of Dawn III

"No!" Shane moved forward and grabbed at the reins of Ash's horse. His uncle slumped over in his saddle a bit, hand clutching the arrow's shaft. Ian's horse stood riderless off to one side and Shane looked about for any sign of his father. Had he been knocked to the ground by another arrow?

"Dead!" A loud whoop seemed to come from some thick brush at the base of a tree to their left. Ashe cursed softly.

"Mor! Look what you've done!"

Without a rustle the thicket parted and a young Sithryn stepped out in front of them, concern evident on his face. "Lord Ashevathallion! Forgive me! I didn't see…"

"Is this how you were trained, to shoot without first being sure of your target? "

A black clad arm suddenly appeared around Mor's neck, a sheathed dagger held by the throat. "And to let yourself be drawn out easily and exposed to the enemy?", a voice spoke into his ear.

Ashe pulled the arrow away from himself, and looked at the tip, then showed it to Shane.

"See? No point, just a ball of resin weighing the same as a normal barb. The young train with such while taking their turn at guarding the herd." He looked over at Mor and Ian.

"You can let him go now, nephew", he said mildly. "No damage done, except to my tunic, for which young Mor here will gladly make recompense, heh?" He tossed the arrow back to the archer, who sighed and placed it back with the cluster shoved through his swordbelt.

"Gladly, m'lord. I am shamed by my foolishness. They said you were to come, but I had thought you would have taken the other route. Those who are coming to take their turn with the herds usually come this way. In truth, I had thought to ambush my brother Ailim. He was due back today."

Ian swung back up onto Horse. " Then everyone is watching for us to arrive at some other point of the Fields?"

"There's a more direct road if you are coming from the Caer. Most of us come this way because it's a bit less tame."

"We didn't come from the Caer, Mor. Could you go on ahead and let them know we are here?" Ash's tone was formal but Shane thought he seemed a bit annoyed.

"Gladly! Your father is awaiting you anxiously." With that Mor turned and loped off, leaving the three riders to follow the trail while he cut cross country. Ashe stared after him and then looked at Ian.

"Did you notice?"

Shane looked from one to the other. "Notice what, Uncle?"

"He never spoke to or looked at anyone except Ashe." Ian answered. "Apparently there are some who still choose to ignore us."

"They will do so at their own peril! My father has lifted the ban, and by Mezumiiru, the men of the Sithryn will obey or they will answer to me!" Ashe set off without checking to see if they followed.

"Hmm. I think he's upset." Ian gave a slight grin to Shane and they set off after their kinsman. But there was no smile on his son's face.

Suddenly the day seemed darker.

10/2000


Horses of Dawn IV

It was a ride Shane would dream about over and over throughout his life.

The trail they rode was fairly clear and straight, and Ashe seemed familiar with it enough to send his horse down it at a gallop. Bringing up the rear, all the boy could see of his uncle was the blue cloak streaming out behind him as he rode. Ian did not even try to catch up with Ashe, satisfied to just keep the other rider in sight as he let Shane draw even with himself. He grinned over at his son, but Shane kept his face forward, avoiding his father's eyes as long as he could so the shame he felt would not be seen so soon.

The trees grew smaller, the mist burning away in stronger sunlight no longer blocked by the thick canopy that kept the deeper Forest shaded. Water could be heard nearby, a current strong enough to be heard over hoof beats as the trail now hooked to their right. They passed beneath two of the giant trees once more, their branches forming a natural arch as horses and riders burst out of the woods and at last onto a wide, green meadow.

Shane gave an awed exclamation.

The Fields stretched off to either side of them, bounded on it's western side by a swiftly flowing river, obviously the source of the sound they had heard as they rode, and on the east by more of the Green Silences. Far off to the east the spires of a great white castle could barely be seen; it had to be the Caer that Mor had spoken of earlier. The air seemed cleaner, the colors brighter; the sky itself the deepest blue that Shane had ever seen. All this in itself would have been enough to convince him that this was indeed a wonderful place.

And then he saw the horses.

They stood quietly in front of the three riders as if taking the measure of them, and Shane 's heart soared at the beauty. Each horse was huge by human standards, size needful to bear riders that were seven feet tall, yet was perfectly proportioned. These were not the heavy destriers that had been bred to bear a knight in full armor, yet it was plain to Shane that they could do so easily as did his father's own mount. Every possible shade and combination of mane, tail, and hide shone sleekly in the sun, and the boy wished his mother could be here to see this, knowing how much Skye loved horses. One horse, all white, stepped out in front of the others and flared his nostrils once at Ashe, then turned away, the rest of the herd splitting apart as if this was a sign to move on back about their business and let the riders pass. When they had, a lone figure stood grinning in front of them.

A mortal man! He was short, darkened by wind and sun, with dark black hair just begun turning gray. He wore clothes of elvish style made from deerskin, and his legs were bowed from a lifetime of riding. His smile seemed genuine as he bowed to the three travelers.

"Ave! I am Brennus, the Master of the Herd. Lord Evaynan awaits you on the far side of the Field." He gestured towards a group of tents off in the distance, and gave a laugh. "I expect the rest of `em are not happy about it, but that's too damn bad now isn't it?" He turned and began walking towards the tents. Shane shot a glance at his father, who was laughing.

"Too damn bad indeed!"

Ashe gave a sigh and shook his head. "Welcome to the Fields of Dawn, sister's-blood."

They set out after Brennus.

10/2000