TIME

TIME: Emergence

by David Deighton

Copyright © 2026 David Deighton, all rights reserved.

Chapter One

Blackness was all I could see out of the viewport. I knew it would be like that, but I still felt uncomfortable; it seemed wrong. There were no stars, nothing. If I looked at the forward and rear view screens, I could make out a faint point of light in both directions. They looked the same because they were the same, the universe. Such as it was now.

There was no sensation of movement, it was as if we were just hanging in place, although I knew intellectually that we were actually traveling at a high percentage of the speed of light, it seemed unreal.

I have lived a long time but not the billions of years, if that expression is still meaningful, that now separates me from my birth. Instead I have skipped forward due to extreme time dilation with no way to stop before hitting the end of the universe. I had no idea what would happen then or what it would be like, or even how much time remained.

I was alone now on the ship, except for my robot companions who were mostly inactive now. They were not built to last such a long time, many millions of years in elapsed time. The others, my retinue of courtiers, ministers, advisors, soldiers and supplicants were all gone, a long time ago.

Mostly, they had simply died of old age, their human bodies unable to continue in spite of all their enhancements, extensions, and treatments; at a time when the average human life expectancy was in excess of a thousand years. While I, an antiquated, primitive human, persisted. I knew I could end it y an act of will but somehow I've never been able to bring myself to take that step.

Perhaps I will meet God. I still have no idea if there is a god, even after all this time. I had learned that the universe was, kind of, conscious, but I thought of the universal mind as some kind of control mechanism. There had been times in my life when I was considered a god by some people. An archaic human, I was by then significantly different from the evolved humans around me. Although nominally in charge, I felt I was more of a mascot than an actual ruler. I think they viewed me as primitive and stupid, although I was often complimented on my ability to simplify and cut through to the essence of issues.

Society had become too complex for a single person to fully comprehend and I like to think there was value in my more simplistic approach. But they might just have been humoring me.

Even though I could use my power to influence the repair and development of my physical body, I was unable to keep up with evolution. Especially the forced evolution of the human species to adapt them to live in diverse environments across the universe.

Spreading from the Milky Way galaxy to the local group first then further and further afield; without end, untold trillions of human beings. Nominally they were all part of my empire but the sheer size of the great diaspora very soon exceeded our ability to manage, even with the help of highly advanced artificial intelligences.

AI's and robots were also theoretically my subjects, although I had little more actual control over them than I did over their biological counterparts. Insofar as it could be said I was their ruler, I mainly used my power to try to steer the human race in the right direction and I'm proud to say I think I mostly succeeded, sort of. I was not some sort of authoritarian dictator, I simply tried to promote and encourage basic human values such as liberty, freedom of speech, equality before the law, sentient rights, fairness, appropriate use of technology, that sort of thing. Whatever. It was all ancient history now.

While everyone, in theory, had the right to appeal to me over the heads of their local governments, it soon became impractical with such huge numbers spread over such huge distances. So I adopted a statistical approach, picking individual cases at random or selecting issues that interested me. It wasn't always easy or successful but I usually managed to muddle my way through to some sort of justice and mainly was able to impose it. As far as I was aware anyway. I had no real way to verify if my decisions were actually implemented, particularly in the far reaches of the empire.

It was ironic that after millennia of faster-than-light travel, I should be stuck here on a slower-than-light vessel, prisoner of relativistic time dilation effects, infinitely close to light speed but unable to break through.

And now here I was, the last of my kind, alone, except for the last few AI's who spent most of their time immersed in artificial worlds. Still, occasionally one would emerge to check on the current reality and they would usually at least have a few words with me. To be honest, I looked forward to these interventions, my only relief from the weight of sheer boredom and solitude. I, myself, spent most of my time in cryo-sleep, waking every now and again to take stock.

It had all started so long ago, in the misty highlands of Scotland, as it later became known, in the Kingdom of Dalraida, where I was crowned king and then immediately deposed by my own family. Not a very auspicious beginning.

Chapter Two

I remember it well, I who have forgotten so much. I stood on the sacred stone of kingship at Dunadd, the capital of my father's kingdom, although the royal family did not live there most of the time. Behind me stood the fort, its massive stone walls looming above me, seeming larger in the moonlight than in the cold light of day. Dunadd sits at the top of a hill, surrounded by farmland and forest, with steep slopes that are easy to defend against all but the most determined foe.

Around me were the representatives of the three clans, small groups of warriors clad in fur and leather, holding torches that added little to the moonlight. My own clan, Cenél nGabráin of Kintyre, stood behind me in front of the fortress wall, the others on each side of me. Before me, the rock extended to the edge of the precipice, with a steep drop to a plateau some 30 feet below.

I stood facing way from the fortress toward the drop-off, my naked right foot in the foot-shaped indentation in the rock. Brennac the druid stood at my right shoulder, ready to administer the oath. Behind me, by Brennac's left foot, was a bowl-shaped indentation in the rock containing the oil he would anoint me with when the moment came. He was my only real friend; no one had expected my father to die so soon and appoint me, his youngest son, heir from his deathbed.

As the first rays of the sun struck me Brennac touched me on the left shoulder and I recited the oath of fidelity and service to the land and the people, as he scooped up the oil and poured it on my head with his cupped hands. A half-hearted cheer arose from those around me. I was not popular, I knew, the king's youngest at sixteen winters and a bastard to boot. My mother had been a slave, an exotic beauty from unknown lands that my father had taken as a concubine. Or so I was told, she died in childbirth, and my father had given me to the druids to raise.

"Hail to the king," cried someone in the crowd behind me, I think it was Oengus, a warrior in my father's personal guard. My personal guard now, I suppose. Oengus had been my mentor, training me in arms and the warrior's way. I had been accepted readily enough in the king's guard, but that was before I was named successor to the throne. It would be different now, I knew.

I turned and started back to the fort. I was cold in my simple robe, and the oil had trickled down over my bare chest. Suddenly, there was a commotion as a big man in dark furs stepped before me and drew his sword.

"This shall not pass," he boomed. "I challenge." Aedan was my older brother, half-brother, and had been the presumed heir before my father had proclaimed me. We had never been friends, and although he tolerated me well enough in the guard as long as I kept away from the king's household, he made it clear that I was not part of the royal family.

My kinsmen of the king's guard reacted immediately, drawing their swords and moving protectively around me. I heard the clash of swords and saw Oengus go down as Aedan's group closed in. I could see the way things were going. I had no sword, and my little group was outnumbered. A short reign then. I was not really surprised, but it was shocking nonetheless.

I felt a tug on my arm as Brennac pulled me away and down the slope beside the fort. I was sure we would be stopped, but the crowd gave way to us, averting their gaze as we passed. It was Brennac they feared. I had heard all sorts of crazy rumours about him that he was a mage, blessed by the gods, a kelpie, and worse.

At the foot of the hill, he led me to a copse of trees where two horses were saddled and ready. We mounted quickly and galloped away, Brennac leading. We followed a winding path into the forest, then slowed to a walk as we entered the trees' gloom. I was too shocked to speak for a long time, and when I did try, he quietened me with a curt gesture, and we rode on.

#

Stopping only when necessary for a few minutes at a time or to eat a cold lunch of bread and cheese, Brennac eventually called a halt as the light began to dim. There was a clearing to one side of the path, and a stone wall or some kind of construction was set back from it. I couldn't see it clearly, and Brennac stopped me when I went to investigate.

"Later boy," he barked. "Make camp first".

I gathered wood for a fire, making a circle of stones and lit it by rubbing sticks together as I had been taught. Then he made a torch, soaking it from a ceramic flask of oil and lit it from the fire.

"Is that the same oil as..." I stared, thinking about the ceremony.

"Yes," he replied, "I'll explain later. Follow me." He led the way to the stone edifice which turned out to be a round construction that looked like the base of a tower that had been all but demolished in some ancient conflict.. In the side facing away from the path was a wooden door. It looked ancient but was still apparently in working order, the hinges hardly protested as Brennac pulled it open and we went inside.

There were other torches mounted on the walls that Brennac lit as we passed into the interior.

We found ourselves in a circular room with no windows or openings that I could see. There were wooden crates on the floor that we opened to find clothing, weapons and food. I quickly dressed in a tunic with leggings and warrior's sandals. There was also a sword, a fine, straight blade with a bone handle, also a leather belt with a leather scabbard attached. I strapped it on over the tunic and hefted the sword; it felt good, well-balanced.

"You knew this was going to happen?" I looked at him.

"I thought it might." Brennan's tone was even, his speech deliberate and measured. As always.

"Can you see the future?"

"No one can see the future, the future is not determined in advance, it was simply the most likely outcome." He looked at me, his eyes glinting in the torchlight like polished metal. These were the eyes that struck fear into the common folk and gave rise to far-fetched stories around the campfire. "At least you were crowned, you are a king now and forever."

"King of my horse's ass. Where's my kingdom now." I couldn't keep the bitterness out of my voice.

"You will understand, in time. You will outlast your kingdom," he held up his hand to forestall any more interruptions. "I have much to tell you. You won't understand much, not yet, but you must remember. Understanding will come in time. But first, we eat."

Brennac had apparently set traps around the tower in the days leading up to the ceremony. We found one with a rabbit still relatively fresh, skinned and cooked it over the fire. I ate with gusto, I was starving but noted that Brennac, as usual, consumed little. We sat in silence for a while, listening to the sounds of the forest and the crackling of the fire.

"Can you teach me magic?" I asked. I don't suppose I will be ruling anyone anytime soon.

"There's no such thing as magic, or at least not as you understand it." he looked at me steadily with his strange eyes. "You need to understand, the world, the universe, has a kind of consciousness, a mind. Human beings have consciousness and the ability to communicate with and influence the universal consciousness. Some would call that magic, I suppose."

"Do you mean the gods, or the Christian God?", I knew of Colmcille and his Irish missionaries. My father had welcomed him and had converted the royal family to worship the Christian god. I also knew this had more to do with politics than religion and we still venerated the old gods in private.

"No, it's not a person like you writ large. It's just an aspect of the world that you cannot see but is in everything. You have a unique ability to connect with and influence it, but you are not the only one. All people have it to some degree, even some animals.." He looked at me with his strange, unblinking eyes, "Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

"I think so," I didn't.

"You're familiar with horse and cattle breeding?"

"Yes, of course," sometimes he seemed to take me for an idiot. How right he was.

"Well you are the result of a selective breeding program going back centuries. I, and others like me, were charged with observing and protecting selected individuals like you," his tone was flat and unemotional, as usual.

"Charged? By whom?"

"I know not; I only know my programming."

"What?"

"I only know the instructions I was given," he explained. "I never met the creators".

"Do you mean the gods?"

"Powerful beings, yes. Gods? Not really, advanced though." He stared back at me as if daring me to ask more, but I'd had enough by then and only wanted to fill my belly and sleep.

"So what becomes of my kingdom with Aedan ruling?" I asked wearily.

"He was right, I think," he said. "Dalriada needs a strong leader. He should do well."

"Well, thanks for the vote of confidence," He was beginning to annoy me.

"Look boy," he replied. "Your time will come. The important thing is that you were legitimately anointed king. No one can take that away from you. It will be important in the future, but not yet."

"King for an hour, not even an hour". Ridiculous.

"A day", he said. "They'll have to repeat the ceremony, it has to be at dawn. That's the tradition, or many won't accept it.

I'd had enough by this point, so I hunkered down into the fur cloak I had found in the ruined tower and closed my eyes. I heard him moving around, tidying up our mess, and tending to the horses. I knew he did not sleep and would keep watch all night. I was exhausted but sleep came slowly, images of the day's events swirled in my head.

#

Next day we continued our journey. It didn't take long to collect our meagre possessions and clear the campsite. I kicked soil over the fire and scattered the stones, then mounted my horse and followed Brennac out of the clearing and back on to the road.

He seemed stiff and ill at ease on the horse. I know that he generally walked everywhere and avoided riding when he could. Usually, he would quietly disappear when no-one was looking and then meet us at the destination without explaining how he got there. My father had made him take a horse on those rare occasions when he took me to visit outlying areas or other noble families.

The road, barely more than a footpath in many places, was mostly sombre, the sun hidden behind the foliage above. In other places, it passed through clearings and widened out under the sunlight. As fate would have it, it was a cold but sunny day. The few clouds above moved rapidly across the sky from west to east and the treetops waved in the wind. This was not unusual, Dalriada was frequently swept by winds from the sea in the west.

I fully expected that we would meet travellers coming the other way but no one appeared on the road ahead. Brennan was alert and stopped from time to time to listen intently. I could hear nothing out of the ordinary, a few birds perhaps, but he seemed to detect other sounds that he did not deign to explain.

We continued like this for several hours before we stopped in a clearing for a light lunch of bread and cheese that Brennac produced from his saddlebag. I should say I stopped for a light lunch because he did not eat, waving away my questions with an impatient gesture.

Towards the end of the afternoon, as the sky began to darken, we stopped and made camp in another clearing in the forest. It was just another grassy area with a few stunted, gnarled bushes. There was no rabbit this time, so I dined on bread and cheese while Brennac ate nothing. I would have asked him about it, but by this time I was used to his reluctance to explain, so I didn't bother. After the meal I curled up in my cloak and tried to get some sleep while he sat stoically, his back against one of the stunted bushes, keeping watch.

I slept until he shook me awake, almost immediately it seemed, but it was the cold light of dawn, so I must have slept several hours.

"Why don't you sleep?" I asked testily, shrugging off his hand.

"I'm not like you, I don't need sleep," he said. "Come on boy, it's time to go. They will be waiting for us."

"Who?"

But he didn't bother to reply as we broke camp, saddled, and mounted the horses and moved out along the road.

#

On the third day, we reached the coast and came upon a Viking longboat waiting in an inlet. It was immediately obvious to me that the Vikings were afraid of Brennac, taking him for a wizard or some sort of semi-divine being. They greeted him nervously and helped us into the boat. Apart from that, they ignored me completely and kept their distance from Brennac.

We left immediately and sailed south, keeping in sight of the coast to our left. We sighted several other Viking longboats in inlets along the way, but did not stop or acknowledge them in any way.

At intervals, they would break out rations from somewhere at the stern of the boat and would eat without pausing what they were doing. Those warriors at the oars would continue rowing, eating one-handed as they went.

They would give me food, about the same quantity as themselves, but Brennac waved them away whenever they approached him. We continued until nightfall, when they would pull in and anchor a little offshore.

I slept wrapped in my cloak on the hard deck, a little apart from the warriors, while Brennan sat his back implacably to the mast all night long. In the morning we would eat a cold breakfast and continue on our way. Some of the crew would jump into the water to relieve themselves and wash and then climb back aboard to get underway.

After four days of this, we pulled into a wide inlet and proceeded upstream until the river narrowed and we came to a wooden landing. Here, Brennan and I stepped ashore and he turned to the Vikings.

"I release you," he said. "You have fulfilled your side of the bargain".

"We thank you, and wish you good fortune," responded the leader and Brennan nodded.

Their relief was palpable as they waved and began turning the boat around to head back out to sea.

We had no horses now and Brennan waved me to follow him on foot along the bank of the river. After a couple of hours, we began to encounter people working at various activities on the riverbank - women washing clothes, men working on boats. Then we came upon a settlement of round huts with thatched roofs. People were moving around, tending to livestock or other activities.

Brennan seemed to know his way around and we headed toward a hut on the far side of the village away from the river and close to the surrounding trees.