“…And slaughter might very well explain it looking at Wen’s features… which I do not really want to right now because of the very obvious pain…‘They burned it themselves,’ she says kicking the vitrified rock and then continues her circuit. That is not good. Wen has already told me that she considers ‘them’ her people.

‘Why did they do that then?’ I try to sound inquisitive but I am not really and I do not really want to know. Not because I am not interested but because I know it is going to be just too awful.

‘To protect their lore…’

‘Written?’ My voice sounds like hollow hills…echoing.

‘No… They burned the Keepers…the practitioners…they were too old to flee with the rest.’

‘The lore perished?’

‘There was a young one…also a Keeper.’

‘This is before the Romans right?’

‘Oh way… way… way before…’

‘How did they generate so much heat?’

‘Wood-lore… and oils… tree resins.’

‘They burned their own alive!’

‘They used wood that gives off poisonous fumes. Yew… Alder… Holly. They did not burn.’

‘Even so…’

‘Have you got the rods?’

Oh Lord…”

 Heart of Albion