Howth, and below it the smudge that is the city of Baele Atha Cliath and its harbor, the Black Pool Dubh Linn. The next smudge of importance is Cork on the south coast, inland of the harbor of Cobh in the Kingdom of Munster
…'
'Do you know,' Declan broke in quietly, 'where we are now?'
–
Sean glared at him for a moment, then tapped a finger on the map. 'Plainly our new protector grows impatient with the acquisition of knowledge that has naught to do with killing and the arts of war,' he said. Deliberately omitting place names, he added, 'We are here.'
Declan looked at Ma'el. 'And from here, where do we go?'
The old man pointed to the lower edge of the chart. 'We will travel to Gaul,' he replied quietly, 'and thence to Rome…'
'Rome!' Sean broke in, his voice going high and womanish with excitement. 'The center of the world, at least of its imperial power and the commerce from countless lands. But such a journey will be fraught with many dangers, not just those offered by the robbers and Roman soldiery we will meet on the way, but from the natural obstacles of wide rivers and the high mountains that protect the Eternal City's northern approaches. Master, have you considered well the hazards of this journey?'
'We two are with you,' said Declan quickly, looking at Sean and feeling excitement and wonder, but worst of all, if the boy's warning should be heeded by the old man, was the possibility of the greatest adventure of his life being denied him. He went on, 'To show you that I do not speak idle promises, may I say that I myself have dreamed of climbing the icy heights of the mountains of Helvetica, and of walking the streets amid the palaces and amphitheaters of Imperial Rome itself and of…'
The old man, Declan had noticed long since, possessed the ability of gently ignoring interruptions rather than losing his temper and chiding the interrupters. He continued as though neither of them had spoken.
'… From Rome,' said Ma'el quietly, 'we travel onward to Far Cathay.'
CHAPTER FOUR
The boy's mouth opened in astonishment but no words came out of it, and for several moments Declan's tongue and mind were in the same state of paralysis. Not wishing to give Sean the impression that their ultimate destination had in any way discomfited him, Declan cleared his throat noisily, looked at Ma'el and spoke as though the news was of no particular consequence.
'The first stage of the journey,' he said quietly, 'will be to reach Gaul. There are short and dangerous paths we can take to that destination, and other ways that are longer, less risky and, as well as traveling through the familiar lands of Hibernia itself, they will require shorter and less-dangerous sea voyages. Is the time taken for this journey an important consideration?'
Ma'el looked at him steadily for a moment, then made a gesture that could have signified yes or no.
'Even in Hibernia,' Declan went on, 'if you are a stranger journeying through unfamiliar territory, that alone could involve us in lengthy negotiations and the levying of taxes by the tuaths we encounter on the way. These will be small clan or family kingdoms for the most part, comprising a few towns and a score or two of fortified farms, but the smaller they are, the greedier they will be to exact payment for freedom of passage. If you agree to these demands, and especially if you haggle over the payment to show that you are not overly rich, we should be allowed to pass in safety. Or you might prefer to hire and provision a force of local warriors, if they appear trustworthy, who will escort you on foot for as long as you can pay them.'
Sean was staring at his sword and axe. He said softly, 'Much about you is becoming clearer.'
Declan ignored the gibe and went on, 'If we go north through the mountain Kingdom of Mourne, where a few angry men can halt an army much less a tinker's wagon, and into the Kingdom of Dalriada we could arrange the short sea passage to Scotia, where the people are wild but well-disposed toward us. The navy of Dalriada is respected by the Norsemen and feared by all others including the ungainly vessels of Rome. They are captained and manned by dark-featured, dour, but on the whole honest men of Ulster who drive hard bargains and honor them. From Scotia we would have to travel down the length of Roman Britain, through mountains, forests, and cities that are not known to me, and which may be governed by imperial representatives more greedy and rapacious than the worst of robbers, until we reach the south coast at the point nearest to Gaul where we can arrange for a second, shorter, and more risky sea crossing. The risks lie in us not knowing anything about the ships or seafarers who will be carrying us.'
As Declan paused for a moment to draw breath, Sean said softly, 'And you acted as though I was being long-winded.'
For a moment the old man looked steadily at the boy, who averted his eyes, then he said, 'Declan, please continue.'
'There is the short and safer land journey to Dubh Linn,' he went on, 'and then across the Celtic Sea to the coasts of Gwynedd or Ceredigion. The journey through mountainous Cymri and the southern reaches of Britain would be much shorter than travelling north to Dalriada, across to Scotia, and then down to the South Britain coast.'
'Much shorter,' said the boy, his eyes on the map, 'if we were hungering for suicides' graves.'
Declan held his temper with an effort. '1 am advising on possible journeys,' he said, looking at Ma'el, 'not advocating one that we should take.'
Ma'el nodded slowly. 'Are there other possibilities?'
'Only two,' Declan replied, tracing a new path with his forefinger. 'The first involves a short and fairly safe land journey followed by one by sea that is long and fraught with many dangers that are due to the elements rather than the designs of greedy men. It would involve traveling west to Drumshambo and northwest to Callooney and on to the harbor at Sligo in the Kingdom of Connaught, and there taking one of the Dalriada ships to our destination…'
'We have come from there,' the boy interrupted. 'Ma'el was visiting the tomb marker of the Warrior Queen Maeve on Knocknarea, and the burial places of the Kings on the Hill above the Strand. He says that he gains much power from that legendary place.'
'It would be unwise,' Declan continued quickly before the boy could speak further, 'to sail directly southward along the west coast, which is broken and rocky and has seen the death of many ships in the sudden winter gales that blow up. Instead we could go north and then eastward past the shores of Tirconnel and the peninsula of Innishowen, then south into the more sheltered Celtic Sea passing, or if the need arose, calling at BaelFeirste, the island Kingdom of Man, or Dubh Linn, for supplies before continuing southward to the shores of Gaul.'
'You are ragged, uncouth, and unshaven,' Sean broke in, suspicion in his voice. 'But for a robber or a beggar or whatever you are, your knowledge of these matters worries me.'
Ma'el held up a hand and, turning his eyes on the boy, he said, 'Please.'
'… But if we were to bide our time,' Declan went on, 'and seek the counsel of local persons of substance, we might find a trustworthy captain who would have the knowledge to advise us further regarding the conditions we would encounter in Gaul-'
'No!' the boy broke in again. To the old man he said, 'Don't listen to, to this witless amadan. His brains must have been addled by an old head wound or his mind destroyed by drunkenness for him to suggest such a dangerous course…'
'As I have already stated plainly,' said Declan loudly, beginning to lose control of his anger, 'these are suggestions only and not recommendations. Shall I go on?'
Tracing a new path with his forefinger and without waiting for the old man's reply, he continued in a quieter voice, 'In the second possibility, the initial part of the journey would be safe, or as safe as it is possible to be in these disorderly times, but the second would be fraught with many dangers from both hostile elements and treacherous men. We would travel to Cashel, where sits the King of Leinster, skirting the Comeragh and Monavullagh Mountains, into the Kingdom of Munster and thence to the city of Cork and its harbor, Cobh. It is a large seaport that has commerce with many nations. There we might find a ship that would convey us on a longer sea journey to Gaul. I have no knowledge of the seaports and townships of Roman Gaul, but…'
