“Do you know me now, Shining Brow?”

Taliesin sank to his knees and raised his hands in supplication. “You are the Supreme Spirit,” he said, “Lord of the Otherworld.”

“Of all worlds,” corrected the Ancient One, “of this world and the next and the one beyond that. I am the Long Awaited King whose coming was foretold of old, who was, and is, and will be again. I am the Giver of Life, known from before the foundation of the world, by whose hand Heaven and Earth received their form. I am known by many names, but the time is coming and is soon here when all men will call me Lord.”

Taliesin trembled with fear and awe as the Supreme Spirit’s words burned into his soul.

“I am the one you have sought, Taliesin, in the deep, secret places of your heart, I am the light that strives against darkness. I am the knowledge, the truth, the life. From this moment you will hold no other gods above me. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Lord,” Taliesin said, his voice small and uncertain. “I understand.”

“I have raised you up and set you apart for a special task. Remain in me, Shining Brow, and you shall become a blessing to your people. For through you nations not yet born will come to know me, and my reign will be extended to the ends of the Earth. Do you Believe what I am telling you?”

“Yes, Lord,” Taliesin said. “I have always Believed.”

“Truly said, Shining Brow. Go now, and do not be afraid, for I will be closer to you than your next breath, closer than your heartbeat. Though darkness rises up against you and overwhelms you, I will never leave you. You are mine, Shining Brow, now and evermore.”

Taliesin raised h’-o-Tiead. “If it pleases you, Lord, give me a sign that I may know you.”

“You ask me for a sign, Shining Brow, and I will give it to you. Know me by this!” Taliesin felt the heat of the being’s presence over him and lay quivering with dread and excitement, light blazing all around him, piercing his closed eyelids. There was a touch on the crown of his head, gentle, almost no touch at all; but it was as if a firebrand had taken off the top of his skull, exposing the dark, soft tissues of his brain to the burning brightness of the light.

And his mind was filled with images, a dazzling whirling cycle of scenes: armies marching, shepherds gathering flocks, dark prison cells and noisome sickrooms, bustling cities with roaring marketplaces, quiet villages on lonely hillsides, shining rivers, deep forests, cool mountain heights, hot desert plains, icy cold frontiers, the courts of kings and pallets of beggars, barren flats and fields ripe with grain, merchants engaged in commerce, lovers embracing, mothers bathing children, people talking and fighting and working and building… and much, much more. Men and women of different ages and epochs, different races, different created orders, different worlds, struggling, living, being born and dying.

Taliesin saw all these things, but he saw them through the eyes of the Shining Lord who stood over him, and he had planted within him a tiny seed of understanding, and he realized who it was that he had vowed to follow: “My Lord! My God!” he cried out as the dizzying images spun on and on.

When Hafgan found him in the grove a few hours later, he thought Taliesin was dead. The young man lay on the ground, his limbs still, unmoving. He approached and saw that Taliesin was deeply asleep and could not be awakened. The druid covered him with his cloak and hunkered down to wait.

When Taliesin finally awoke, he could not speak.

Many days later they came to Ynys Witrin. Elphin settled his people Below the Tor and went ahead with Cuall, Hafgan, and Taliesin to determine how they might present themselves to the Fisher King. As they stood looking at the Tor, which was surrounded by lakes and boggy marshland, they met two men in simple garb descending the narrow, winding track from the palace.

Upon seeing the men, Taliesin’s tongue was loosed and he began to shout for joy. “Behold! The servants of my Lord draw near!” he cried. “I must go and greet them.” And he ran to them and fell down before them.

The two men looked at one another in astonishment. “Stand on your feet,” one of the men told him, “for we are men of humble birth. My name is Dafyd, and this is my friend Collen.” He looked at Taliesin’s clothing, saw the golden tore around his neck, and knew he had addressed a Briton lord. “Who are you?”

“Chief bard am I to King Elphin of Gwynedd,” Taliesin replied, his face shining.

“What is your name?” asked Dafyd. “Do we know you?” Elphin and the others arrived, and as they gathered around Taliesin began to exclaim:’

“I was with my Lord in the heavens

When Lucifer fell

into the depths of Hell;

I carried a banner

before Alexander in Egypt;

I call the stars by name

from the North to the South;

I was head architect

Of Nimrod’s tower;

I was in Babylon

in the Tetragrammaton;

I was patriarch

to Elijah and Enoch;

1 was atop the cross

of the merciful Son of God;

I was three times

in the prison of Ananrhod;

I was in the Ark

with Noah and Alpha;

I witnessed the destruction

of Sodom and Gomorrah;

I upheld Moses

through the sea;

I was in the court of Don

before the birth of Gwydion;

And I was with my Lord

in the manger of oxen and asses.

I was moved through the entire universe

by the hand of the Most High;

I received my awen

from Ceridwen’s Caldron;

People call me poet and bard;

henceforth I shall be known as Prophet!

Taliesin I am,

and my name shall remain until doomsday.”

Never had any of them heard such a speech as this. Dafyd raised his hands to Taliesin and said, “How is it that you know the Lord and revere him?”

Taliesin answered, “I have seen him! The Lord has revealed himself to me so that I may worship him and proclaim his name to my people.”

Elphin and Hafgan could understand little of what Taliesin was saying, but they knew they had indeed seen something extraordinary.

Elphin then told Dafyd about the defeat at Caer Dyvi and the wandering of his people. He ended by saying, “We have come here to meet this Fisher King and to see whether he can help us.”

“Then I will gladly take you to him and allow you to prove his generosity for yourselves. I know he will want to see you, for he has recently become a follower of the Christ himself.”

So Elphin and his people were conducted to Avallach’s palace where they were received courteously. And it was there that Taliesin first saw Avallach’s golden-haired daughter, Charis.

CHAPTER FIVE

“Is something wrong?” asked llle. she had come upon Charis as she sat in the orchard among the pink-blossomed apple trees. “I have been watching, and you have not entered the hall or courtyard since the strangers came.”

Charis shrugged nonchalantly. “I have no wish to interfere in my father’s affairs.”

“Avallach’s affairs? He speaks of inviting the aliens to settle on our lands, of joining the destiny of our races, of adapting to their ways, of abandoning all to follow this new god, the Christ-and you say these are affairs for the king alone?”

Lile sniffed and tossed her head. “Does none of this worry you?”

“Should it?” Charis answered absently.

“Talking to you is like talking to a cloud. What is wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong. I just want to be alone with my thoughts.”

“I saw the way you looked at him,” said Lile. “It is true he is less repulsive than any of the others, but I cannot Believe you would waste a moment’s thought on him.”

Charis stirred and turned to Lile. “Who?” she asked, genuinely puzzled.