When Melcorka touched the hilt of Defender, the old familiar thrill returned. “First I will wash this sweat off my body, and then I'll hunt Erik down,” she said.
“For revenge?” Bruachan asked.
“No. To remove the evil from Alba.” Melcorka stood up, swayed and accepted Bradan's supporting hand. “If it were for revenge, Defender would not work for me.”
Bruachan gave a faint smile. “Your Defender is virtually unbeatable against any weapon made in its own time, for it holds the skill of great warriors.”
Melcorka nodded. “That is so, yet Erik and Legbiter defeated me with ease.”
“He did. Erik used the evil from a thing that was ancient long before the Romans crucified Christ. It is a primeval spirit of the earth, something from the hidden depths below the ground, a forbidden evil.”
“Tell me more,” Melcorka said.
“We call it the Cu-saeng, for it has no other known name,” Bruachan said. “The people who worshipped it died thousands of years before our grandfathers' ancestors came to this land.” Bruachan watched as Melcorka paced the breadth of the room, turned and strode back. “It is possible that the people who erected the stone circles knew of this entity, for from time to time we have discovered sacrifices beneath the stones.”
“What type of sacrifices?” Melcorka asked without stopping her pacing.
“We found the bones of animals and of humans.” Bruachan passed across a small leather bottle. “Mead,” he said. “Drink. It will help restore your strength.”
Melcorka did so, feeling the sweet honey-liqueur seeping into her body. “That is the best thing I have tasted in months,” she said.
“You will taste better,” Bruachan said, “as your recovery continues.”
“We think that this spirit owns the soil and everything beneath the surface of the land, so it resents anybody digging foundations for houses or any other disturbance of its possessions.”
“Can it be killed?” Melcorka asked.
“No; it is the embodiment of evil, just as Christ was the embodiment of the spirit of good.”
“If I can't kill it, can I defeat it in any other way?” Melcorka stroked the hilt of Defender.
“We think it can be quelled,” Bruachan spoke cautiously. “At some time, the men and women who erected the triple stone circle captured and contained the power of the Cu-saeng.”
“Captured its power?” Melcorka ran her thumb along the blade of Defender.
“The power was written in a book, which the old ones buried deep beneath the earth, and the Christian monks located and safely contained.”
Melcorka drained the mead and looked for something to eat. “Is this Cu-saeng thing still contained?”
Bruachan shook his head. “No. When the present wars with the Norse and Albans and Northumbrians began, the leader of a war band was searching for plunder and dug up this book, the Book of Black Earth, as it is known. Some fool opened it, and a part of the spirit exchanged the sword of the nearest warrior for one that contained pure evil.”
“That would be Legbiter,” Melcorka said. “Was Erik that leader?”
“Erik was not the leader. He was only one of the war band. He thinks he controls the sword, but Legbiter controls him.” Bruachan handed over a loaf of bread, into which Melcorka bit. “You are recovering your strength faster than I expected.”
“Yes,” Melcorka said. “You said part of the spirit entered Legbiter. What happened to the remainder?”
“You are a woman of many questions,” Bruachan said. “The remainder is in the book, which we believe the leader of the war band holds.”
Melcorka finished the bread and looked for more. “What must I do?”
“Two things,” Bruachan said. “First, you must stop Erik's killing spree and destroy his evil sword, and second, you must find the book and contain or dispel the evil of the Cu-Saeng.”
“One thing at a time,” Melcorka said. “Erik can wait. Where is this book? Who freed it?”
Bruachan shook his head. “We don't yet know. All we know is that the book was held in a house built on human bones and the warrior who led the war band still lives there.”
“That's a start,” Bradan said. “There can't be many houses built on human bones.”
Impatient now, Melcorka interrupted. “Secondly, how can I ensure the book is made safe?”
Bruachan shook his head. “That is beyond our knowledge.”
Bradan tapped his staff on the ground. “All right. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. We have to find the thing first.”
“And end Erik's killing,” Melcorka said. “He outfought me easily. How can I defeat him?”
“Legbiter is as powerful as Defender,” Bruachan said. “It matches good with evil. But it enhances its power by drawing on the accumulated evil of the Book of Black Earth. If you neutralise the book, you can fight Erik on level terms. You might win, you might lose.”
“So we must find the book first,” Melcorka said.
“You must find the book first,” Bruachan agreed. “In a house built on human bones.”
“If the man who unleashed the evil led a war party,” Bradan said, “he would be a Norseman, so he'll most likely be in the far northeast, beyond Inverness.”
Melcorka looked up. “I've never been there.”
Bradan grunted. “Neither have I.” Lifting his staff, he dragged it along the floor. “They call me Bradan the Wanderer, but I've never wandered into Norse territory by choice. This venture could be very interesting.”
Bruachan leaned back. “I have helped all I can and told you all I know. Now, you must make your path. Remember the golden truth – action follows thought.”
“Action follows thought,” Bradan repeated. “We thank you for your help and advice, Bruachan.” He stood up. “Now we'll look for this man with a house built on dead men's bones.”
“Go with God,” Bruachan said, “and may God go with you.”
Melcorka nodded. “And may He bless your wisdom.” Yet for all her newfound confidence, Melcorka still remembered her vision. She lay broken on a waste of bloody sand, with a tall, hooded man standing over her while Bradan walked away with another
