'Nay!' Taliesin watched in horror, as Tory lay motionless on the stoney ground perceiving the sinister tidings the Goddess had sent her.

Maelgwn is already mine, Inanna told her, as Tory beheld a clear image of her husband making love to the Goddess.

'It is a lie.' Tory shook herself free of the nightmare, though tears of hurt were streaming down her face.

Ask yourself then why it is you are crying, Lamamu?

Deep down, you know I speak the truth.

Tory bowed her head, tempted to admit Inanna was right. 'No, no fear.' She launched herself further towards the exit of the temple. 'Maelgwn despises you,' Tory told Inanna adamantly, dragging herself towards the wide open spaces.

Well, naturally he'd tell you that to hide his guilt and true feelings for me.

Tory held her breath, struggling not to take her comments to heart, but when she came sliding back across the temple floor, she realised she wasn't disputing Inanna's claims hard enough.

'If ... what ... you ... say ... is ... true,' Tory squeezed out, wrenching herself forward with every word - there was only a couple of meters between Taliesin and herself now - 'then why do you still want my body so badly?' The notion gave Tory the strength to cast herself far enough towards the circle's circumference that her hand penetrated it and Taliesin grabbed hold.

'Good girl.' The Merlin dragged her clear and held her trembling form tightly.

'Oh my God!' Tory blubbered, the image of Maelgwn making love to Inanna recurring in her head, again and again.

'It's over,' Taliesin assured her, calming her with his healing energies.

'But I nearly ...'

'But you didn't,' the Merlin stopped her from dwelling on what might have happened.

She looked towards the inner temple in the wake of her ordeal. The dead security guard was slumped over the altar stone. Inanna had gone.

Taliesin went about putting out the torches Inanna had ignited, and so dispersed her energies from the site.

'Come.' Taliesin held a hand out to Tory. 'I have a safer place in mind.'

Even though Tory knew this was the real Taliesin Pen Beirdd who addressed her now, she was still hesitant to join him.

'We could forget all about it, if you like,' he suggested, which served to spur her to certainty quick-smart.

In the great entrance hall to Taliesin's labyrinth there was another huge stone carving of the Celtic cross.

Around this Taliesin lay a large unbroken circle of sand, and marked out the four cardinal points by setting a candle at north, south, east and west.

This time, as Tory lay her body down inside the protected area, she did not feel uneasy and found it simple to focus.

'Pray I make contact, old friend,' Tory uttered, before she drifted off.

'I will, thy will.' She saw the Merlin say this to her as she drifted above them both, observing her motionless form as she ascended higher and higher above it. Then Taliesin looked up at her, apparently aware of her departure.

'Go in peace,' he said.

Tory turned to move on, and found herself gliding through a beautiful old mansion. Though it was night and the house was softly lit she had no trouble seeing her way as she was exuding her own light. She scaled the grand staircase, passing a housemaid making her way downstairs with a tray of empty dishes. No sooner had Tory wondered if the maid would see her than the woman screamed, threw the tray into the air and went racing back up the staircase. I guess so. Tory amused herself, following the terrified maid into the upstairs hallway.

'What is it, Francesca?' Rhiannon emerged from her bedroom to see what all the ruckus was about. The petrified maid could only point, whereby Rhiannon looked to find the phantasm making its way down the hall towards them. 'Mother,' Rhiannon uttered, quietly delighted to see her.

'But your mother is de-' The woman's eyes rolled back in her head, and she fainted.

Thinking this was for the best, Rhiannon looked back to her visitor. 'Please, come in. I've been expecting you.'

Tory followed her daughter into the bedroom, curious to hear her say so.

'A smart move to come in etheric form,' Rhiannon commented, 'however unnecessary.' She closed the door behind them and headed for her seat by the fire.

You think so? Tory bethought her, noting her daughter no longer wore the restraining band around her wrist. And what do you mean, you've been expecting me?

'That's why Doc agreed to leave me alone this week.

I told him you'd come, if you knew I'd be by myself.'

And why would Doc want to allow me to speak with you alone?

'Because I asked,' Rhiannon explained simply. 'And look,' she held up her bare right wrist, 'no restraints.'

I noticed.

'Please mother, don't be suspicious, at least until you hear what I have to say.'

I'm listening.

Her daughter outlined how Doc had been removing her restraint in order to utilise her abilities, for both professional and personal purposes. But one night, after making love to her, Doc had drifted off to sleep before he'd replaced the module on Rhiannon's wrist. This had been all the time she'd needed to get a grip on her situation. After hanging out with Ray for three years, Rhiannon managed to figure out how to remove the module's control mechanism. Doc continued replacing the band, unaware that it had been tampered with. A week lapsed before Rhiannon enlightened Doc to this oversight. In the interim, she hadn't managed to catch the word that he used to activate the devices - not that it would have done her or her kin any good, as she discovered that the command had to be uttered by the man himself to have any effect. Once Doc realised he no longer needed to restrain Rhiannon to keep her by him, he was immensely happy as he'd wanted nothing more.

Able to perceive each other's thoughts, Rhiannon and Doc knew that they weren't lying about their feelings for each other. 'So I haven't been under his control for weeks.'

Then come home, baby, please! Tory pleaded. If he has indeed set you free, then get out now, while you still have the chance.

'I'm afraid I can't do that,' Rhiannon announced. 'I made him a deal, you see.'

What kind of a deal?

'I vowed,' Rhiannon stood to advise her mother of the details, 'that I would stay with him, so long as he forgot about my kin and let them be.'

Baby, no, I can't allow you - 'It is not your decision to make,' Rhiannon told her mother, rather forcefully, 'and should you try to remove me by force, I shall return to him given the first opportunity, I swear it. Now, Doc is prepared to do as I have asked, which is why we concocted the story about the Goddess. In the eyes of the world, all of you no longer exist.'

Tory shook her head, not wanting to believe her ears. Surely Rhiannon was still somehow being manipulated by Doc's will. You don't have any idea what he's really up to, Rhiannon - 'Of course I do! It is impossible for us to keep secrets from each other. I know about the army he is building, and of his so-called guardian angel, Shamash. Which is exactly the reason I want to stay with Doc. I am the only hope those souls, including Doc, have of escaping Shamash's evil influence. Who else can keep an eye on his movements, and warn of pending disaster, if not I?

Don't you see, mother, this is my destiny. Doc will listen to me. I have made him see reason several times already.'

And who is going to save you if Shamash discovers you are influencing his Chosen one, hmm?

'I, too, have a guardian,' Rhiannon whispered. 'An old friend of yours, so I believe.'

Tory knew at once to whom she referred. You have seen Keridwen?

'Rhiannon nodded. 'And if you think I might have been deceived, ask Taliesin of our meeting, for it was he who brought her to me.'

Oh dear lord. Tory began to float to and fro, as if she were pacing. And what do I tell Ray? she implored of Rhiannon. Have you got any idea what he's going through right now, have you even thought?

The question seemed to take a bit of the wind out of Rhiannon's sails. She turned away to consider her response, fiddling with the large diamond engagement ring on her wedding finger. 'Ray is a sweetie, mother ... I do miss him, and I'm sorry if the decision I have made will cause him pain. I'm a big girl now. I realise the welfare of the many must come before the welfare of just one man. But quite apart from all that, I love Doc.'

Tory looked at her daughter, infuriated to hear her say so. Do you speak of the man Doc appears to be, or of the barbarian he truly is?

'Perhaps I should have said, Cadwaladr,' Rhiannon specified, not much liking her mother's train of thought.

'He reminds me of father and Rhun, and he is not at all the monster you have made him out to be.'

He murdered your father, raped you, and despises your kin. I can guarantee, he is nothing like either of them.

'Father's death was a mistake.'

A mistake!

'Yes,' Rhiannon stressed, 'and you know as well as I, father isn't really dead. Now is he?' Rhiannon posed, knowing her mother couldn't argue the point. 'Doc no longer despises you. I explained to him that you didn't know that the immortal gene would be passed on to so many generations, and that Taliesin hadn't tutored him because he was completely unaware that Cadwaladr had inherited the immortal gene in its active state.'

How do you know about that? As soon as she'd asked the question, she knew the answer. Taliesin told you, of course. But did you tell Doc who was really to blame?

Rhiannon shook her head. 'But I will, when the time is right.'

And how do you plan to keep such a secret until then?

'After Taliesin and Keridwen had explained all to me, they wiped certain details from my memory and will restore them as required. So please, do not even think of that which I do not know, because then I shall, and that would be dangerous.'

Tory was confused now, and angered that Taliesin had been scheming behind her back. And what of Cadfan? Have you all decided that being a mindless puppet cum Messiah is his destiny too?

'No, mother.' Rhiannon's tone softened, sensing Tory's feelings of betrayal. 'That shall be my first priority. Doc knows I do not like what he is putting his grandfather through and that I shall quietly do all I can to put a stop to it. Like I said, we have no secrets. I respect his view, and he respects mine. He is in love with the real me, you see, not the zombie I was when I was under his control.

That being the case, our love is completely unconditional, because it has to be. I'm not asking you to like what I am trying to do, I only ask that you respect my decision.'

Tory went quiet as she considered that had Rhiannon been anyone but her daughter, she would have respected and admired her determination. 'I'm just so afraid of losing you.'

'That will never, ever happen.' Rhiannon closed the space between them. 'Despite how it may appear at times, I assure you nothing anyone could say or do would ever demote you in my eyes. You're my hero, mother, and more importantly, my dearest friend. Know that you have taught me well and set me free to do what I must.'

Tory was deeply touched by her daughter's words, for Rhiannon had not spoken of her thus since she was a teenager. I have taught you well, Rhiannon. There is good in Doc. I too have seen it ... so somewhere, down deep, your resolve makes me very proud.

'So I have your blessing?'

Though it pained Tory to commit herself, it was far better to be supportive than to oppose her daughter and be cut out of her life altogether. If you're sure this is what you want?

Rhiannon nodded. 'Until events do us part, it is.'

Upon returning to her body, Tory awoke. Taliesin gave her a few moments to get her bearings, before he asked, 'Should I run for cover?'

'No need,' Tory told him, as she got to her feet.

'Oh please, Tory, don't look at me like that.'

'Like what?' Tory queried, her voice more sorrowful than wrathful. 'Like you have betrayed me, lied to me, conscripted yet another member of my family into your damn ancestral war.'

'I can explain -'

'No, don't bother,' Tory uttered, bewildered, 'I couldn't believe a word of it anyway.' A single tear rolled down her cheek, as she looked away and faded from his presence.

For several weeks Tory and Ray were a miserable pair.

They spent quite a bit of time in each other's company, trying to ease the hurt they shared.

Not surprisingly, Ray lost all enthusiasm for constructing the anti-NERGUZ device. Thais and he had managed to dig out a few large chunks of orichalchum to use in the construction of their prototype, but Thais didn't have Ray's engineering background - he had no chance of developing the device alone. So, in the end, determined to rescue Cadfan, it was Thais who dragged Ray out of his deep pit of despair. Thais was an accomplished spiritual tutor and motivator, so even someone as pessimistic as Ray didn't stand a chance of escaping his positive influence and reinforcement.

Alone, Tory walked the canyon ridge every evening.

She felt closer to Maelgwn here; she could see the star system where he resided. She had recovered from her shock at her daughter's decision as much as she was ever going to. But she could not bring herself to forgive the hand Taliesin had played in Rhiannon's decision - no matter how many times she tried to reassure herself he had acted on behalf of the greater good.

'Hey, sunshine.' Teo sat himself beside her to look out over the darkening landscape.

The sight of her old friend startled Tory at first, then quietly angered her. 'Coward,' she called the Merlin.

'How dare you use the open, honest relationship we once had to try and appease your treachery of late.'

'Where is the treachery?' he asked. 'I told you months ago what was going to happen. You refused to listen.'

'Do you really think Rhiannon would have stayed with Doc if you and Keridwen hadn't filled her head with visions of grandeur?' Tory stood, of the mind to walk off her frustration and escape this conversation.

'Tory, I didn't put a spell on her to make her agree, you know.' Taliesin raised Teo's form to pursue her. 'Nor did I give her any mysterious love potion to make her fall in love with Doc. Just because it isn't your ideal scenario for your daughter, doesn't mean it isn't the right thing for her to do.'

'But Doc is not Rhiannon's true soul mate. Ray is.'

'Actually,' Taliesin corrected, 'Cadwallon is her true soul mate. But Doc is evolved from the same soul mind as the rest of us, and is thus a kindred spirit to Rhiannon. I was not your true soul mate either, but that didn't stop you from falling in love with me, did it?'

Tory stopped in her tracks, and turned to confront Teo. 'That was long before I ever met Maelgwn,' she defended.

'And before we left on my last mission, what was that?'

'You kissed me!' Tory insisted.

'You kissed me back,' he was quick to retort. 'I've often wondered what would have become of us had I returned from that tour of duty.'

'Nothing would have happened,' Tory was right up on her high horse now.

He smiled. 'But we'll never really know and it matters not.' He spoke up to prevent her further protest.

'The point is that it would have been your decision to make. We all have things to learn in this world. You cannot learn Rhiannon's lessons for her. And before you start ramming my words down my throat, I ask that you consider this ... where would we be now if your father had prevented you from going back to the Dark Age?