The Wanderer Chronicles Story II part 2.

A continuation of the crossover, between Brother Cadfael and Doctor Who.

A few hours later, Yukio and Elizabeth returned from the mall, to find the 6th and 13th Wanderer clearing away the chess board, and The 6th Wanderer was getting ready to go.

"Did you have a good time at the mall?" asked the 6th Wanderer.

"Yes, " said Elizabeth, "I like the 20th Century very much, especially, what did you call it Yukio?"

"A chocolate milkshake." Yukio replied.

"Oh, those are good, but we must be going now." stated the 6th Wanderer, grabbing a weather beaten Stetson off of the 13th Wanderer's coat rack, and flipping it onto his head. He and Elizabeth quickly left the room, leaving the 13th Wanderer alone with Yukio.

"Well, that was interesting, " Yukio stated, "I did not think I would meet another one of you so soon."

"Well to quote and old friend, 'I'm not the man I was , fortunately'". The 13th Wanderer replied. He sat in the chair behind the desk, and rummaged in a drawer. He then pulled out a scorpion frozen in amber. He placed it on the desk, and asked, "Are you ready for another story?"

"Yes, I am." Yukio stated, sitting in the other chair in the office, after removing the chess board.

"Then we begin.." The Wanderer said. The tone of his voice drew Yukio in to a time long ago..


It was high summer in the year of our Lord 1138, just before Prime, as Brother Cadfael was resting at the workshop by his herb garden after a long morning of instructing the latest of the novitiates in weeding. He was thinking back to his days as a crusader in the Holy Land, and a wry smile spread across his face.

"Ah but I am content now, here with the Benedictine order in Shrewsbury." He thought to himself. Shaking off thoughts of the past, he was about to head for Prime, when another brother of the abey came up the path.

"Brother Cadfael!" He shouted, "Brother Edmund needs your help at the infirmary." The monk stopped at the workshop, drawing breath heavily.

"What is the matter?" Inquired Brother Cadfael, his silver tonsure glinting in the sun.

"Some villagers found a man hurt in the woods." The monk replied, "But Brother Edmund knows not what to make of him, he is not a normal man."

Brother Cadfael hurriedly assembled some herbs he thought he might need, and followed the monk back to the infirmary, his head full of questions, what did he mane by not an ordinary man?

Arriving at the infirmary, Brother Cadfael soon found Brother Edmund, standing by the bed of man, holding a short, round metallic cylinder in his hand. There were lots of blankets on the bed, and the man was muttering in a language that sounded like nothing Brother Cadfael had ever heard.

"What seems to be the difficulty here, Edmund?" said Cadfael, appraising the man in the bed. He was of middle age, with long black hair and a mustache, of such a dark color, that Cadfael almost thought it was false, until the man started speaking again in that strange tongue.

"Well, Brother Cadfael, the villager who found him had heard a struggle in the woods. As you know this interminable civil war has fomented anarchy, and lawless persons roam the land waylaying travelers. That is what I assume happened to him, see the blow behind his ear?" Edmund moved the man's head so that Cadfael could see the injury.

"Why is he wrapped in blankets, then?" asked Cadfael

"Feel his skin." Edmund said. Cadfael put his hand on the man's forehead, and recoiled.

"He feels like a corpse!" Cadfael exclaimed.

"Yes, and his clothes were passing strange as well." Edmund led Cadfael over to a table, and showed him a shirt, pants and a strange peice of wrist jewelry.

Cadfael picked up the shirt. "It is made from silk!" He turned it over and by the left shoulder was a strange motif, a circle, bisected by a dark line, half was black and half was white, with a black circle in the white half and a black circle in the dark half. Behind it in gold relief was a familiar and yet not familar "Celtic Knot". He was then startled when the man in the bed spoke.

"Please be careful with that, it was a gift from Teng Chang, the head of the Shao-lin Monastery." The man's voice conveyed a quiet authority, and Cadfael turned to see the man was awake. Cadfael was amazed by the intensity of the green color of the man's eyes. The man slowly moved off the bed, stood and shook his head. He moved over to Brother Cadfael and retriieved his shirt and pants. He dressed, and picked up his wrist band, looked at it and said.

"Well, it is Friday, July 22nd 1138 Anno Domini. I am generally known as the Wanderer, who might you nice gentlemen be?"

Next...a curse and accusations...