Holder of Lightning
Page 59
Jenna’s mouth hung open; a dozen unsaid replies filling her head. A gulf wider than the Westering Sea separated them, and Jenna could think of no way to bridge it. The infant Mac Ard was crying again, but Maeve’s face reflected only a stoic suffering. Jenna started to take a step toward her but Maeve’s eyes narrowed warningly and she stopped. Finally, Jenna ducked her heard and left the tent, going out into the wind again. Her gardai were waiting for her. They looked at her questioningly.
“We’re leaving,” she told them.
Jenna sat in the boat as they rowed back to their ship, gazing backward at Inishduán. She saw Maeve come out of the tent, Doyle cradled in one arm. Smoke gushed white around the central pole as Maeve walked down to the beach without looking back. A few seconds later, the first flames appeared, leaping high into the air. Smoke rolled gray with the oils, the wind smearing it west and south toward Talamh an Ghlas.
They arrived at the ship. Hands reached down to help Jenna up onto the deck. Standing at the rail, she looked back to the island: to the boat that was carrying Maeve and Jenna’s half brother back to their own vessel; to the conflagration rising high into the sky.
“Are you ready, Banrion?” the captain asked.
Jenna nodded. “Aye,” she said. “Take me home.”
APPENDICES
CHARACTERS (in order of appearance):
PLACES:
TERMS:
SAIMHÓIR TERMS:
THE DAOINE CALENDAR:
The Daoine calendar, like that of the Bunús Muintir, is primarily lunar-based. Their “day” is considered to start at sunset and conclude at sunrise. Each month consists of 28 days; there is no further separation into weeks. Rather, the days are counted as being the “thirteenth day of Wideleaf” or the “twenty-first day of Capnut.”
The months are named after various trees of the region, and are (in translation) Longroot, Silverbark, Wideleaf, Straightwood, Fallinglimb, Deereye, Brightflower, Redfruit, Conefir, Capnut, Stranglevine, Softwood, and Sweetsap.
The solar year being slightly more than 365 days, to keep the months from recessing slowly through the seasons over the years, an annual two-fold adjustment is made. The first decision is whether there will be additional days added to Sweetsap; the second proclaims which phase of the moon will correspond to the first day of the month that year (the first day of the months during any given year may be considered to start at the new moon, quarter moon waxing, half moon waxing, three-quarter moon waxing, full moon, three-quarter moon waning, half-moon waning, or quarter moon waning). The proclamation is announced at the Festival of Ghéimri (see below) each year—any extra days are added immediately after Ghéimri and before the first day of Longroot. All this keeps the solar-based festivals and the lunar calendar roughly in line.
This adjustment is traditionally made by the Draíodóiri of the Mother-Creator at the Sunstones Ring at Dun Laoghaire, but the Inish Thuaidh Draíodóiri generally use the Sunstones Ring near Dun Kiil to make their own adjustments, which do not always agree with that of Dun Laoghaire. Thus, the reckoning of days in Talamh an Ghlas and Inish Thuaidh is often slightly different.
The year is considered to start on the first day of Longroot, immediately after the Festival of Ghéimri and any additional days that have been added to Sweetsap.
There are four Great Festivals at the solstices and equinoxes.
The following is a sample year with corresponding Gregorian dates. However, bear in mind that this is only an approximation and will differ slightly each year.
1st day of Longroot (New Year’s Day) = September 23
1st day of Silverbark = October 21
1st day of Wideleaf = November 18
1st day of Straightwood = December 16 Festival of Láfuacht: 7th day of Straightwood (December 22)
1st day of Fallinglimb = January 13
1st day of Deereye = February 10
1st day of Brightflower = March 10 Festival of Fómhar: 11th day of Brightflower (March 20)
1st day of Redfruit = April 7
1st day of Conefir = May 5
1st day of Capnut = June 2
Festival of Méitha: 19th day of Capnut (June 20)
1st day of Stranglevine = June 30
1st day of Softwood = July 28
1st day of Sweetsap = August 25 Festival of Gheimhri: 28th day of Sweetsap (September 21)
HISTORY:
THE HOLDERS OF LÁMH SHÁBHÁLA SHABHALA
(Dates given in Daoine years and in chronological order. Entries in boldface indicate the cloch was active during the time of Holding.)
THE BUNÚS MUINTIR HOLDERS (from Year-160)
THE DAOINE HOLDERS
The Known Clochs Mór,
Their Current Manifestations & Holders: