Page 290 of The Daughters of Avalon
Will you sacrifice the fruit of your womb?
“I…”
“Caw!” said the black bird insistently.
Will you?
“A-Aye,” said Seren, yet not so quickly.
The woman’s voice, which had been soft and soothing before, filled with empathy, now boomed with the fury of thunder and the promise of retribution. Her face twisted so that Seren could no longer tell if she was male or female. Horns grew upon her head—horns like those of a stag.
The voice reverberated across the universe itself.
Now is the revelation of truth.
Now is the light of our kind born in you.
Now is the seed of all lies revealed.
Now is the verity of your words made known. If, indeed, you choose me, turn the blade, and we will see…
“Caw!” said the black bird, as an unseen wind stirred, growing now in intensity, whipping Seren’s hair about her face, so that even in her dream state it stung her flesh like whips of fire. To her dismay, the longer she stood without making a true decision, the more violent the wind grew, and the tendrils of the Being’s hair grew long, and fiery, like the appendages of a She Dragon in a raging lake of fire…
“I choose you!” Seren shouted above the din, fearing she’d angered the creature, but uncertain how.
The voice demanded, “If you choose me, turn the blade, and see…”
“Caw, caw!” said the black bird.
It was only belatedly that Seren realized she was still holdingCaledfwlchin the palm of her hand—the Sword of Ages, the ancient blade of Uther and Taliesin. In that instant of realization, the sword erupted more violently with flame, only this time the flame turned as blue as the Endless Sea.
Arising from her knees with great difficulty, Seren dragged up the heavy sword along with her. Whereas before she’d felt weightless as a feather as she’d drifted to the Goddess, she now felt heavy as a lump of iron, anchored to the very spot where she stood, constrained as though by a thousand chains of steel. And yet somehow, though she wondered if she’d drifted back to sleep in her own room, on her own bed, she felt in the marrow of her bones that dream, or no dream, whatever choice she made here and now… whatever the result of this vision, she would carry the consequences in life… and death.
The voice was furiously insistent.If you choose me, turn the blade, and see…
In a moment of terror, Seren understood what He was saying. The creature meant for her to prove the veracity of her words with a willing sacrifice… only a sacrifice of her person… a sacrifice of her womb.
If you choose me, turn the blade, and see…
“Caw, caw!” said the black bird.
Only now, she understood, and once again, despite the angry face that glared down upon her, the same sense of quietude arose within her, and she knew… deep in her heart… if the Goddess was life, then, as her lover, the Horned God must be the one to light the spark of truth in her to create the Divine Child. She was the Divine Child. The Chosen One of her Age. The Regnant of her Day. But only if she gave herself to this sacrifice… and the sacrifice she now knew was a child of her womb. And yet if she chose this, she would be barren for the rest of her days. She would never, so long as she breathed, give Wilhelm a child of his blood. She would never know what it was like to be a mother…
Why? Even her grandmother had known the joys of childbirth. Why mustshemake this choice before ever having conceived?
Every path is different, my daughter… your child is every child…
The booming voice was gentle again, although it buckled and twisted against the wind, breaking like the voice of a youth on the verge of becoming a man.
Male. Female. Child. Mother. Father. Indistinguishable.
We are bound by destiny, to destiny bound,
I to you, and you to me…
Now you may choose or choose to be free.
As you will it, so mote it be.
