Warrior

by Jana LaPelle

  Taking her hand in my own, we follow the others to the ruins, looking her way, I ask, “What do you see in them?”

  She squeezes my hand and looks after the two miniature persons in the lead of our group before saying, “Spirit, gumption… I don’t know how to explain it, but they have... this spark… it’s uniquely dwarven. It calls to me. I don’t know why. Come on Elf-Man. We’re falling behind.”

  About that time, on the opposite end of the cavern we hear a commotion as another group enters there. For the first time we are getting a good look at the demigod who The Morrígan raised from the dead, and he is massive. He moves like a machine, he and his companions, and I realize that we are too far from the ruins. Cú Chulainn will get to the Spear of Lugh first. Squeezing Ashlinn’s hand, I tug, and we begin to run, no plan in place. We’re going to have to wing it.

  Chapter 28

  (Ashlinn)

  No, no, no!!! How did this happen? Lainn looks our way over the distance between us, and then smiles a wicked smile. Boy, he’s definitely been hanging out with the wicked witch of the west. That smile is almost a perfect replica of hers. His long muscular stride eats up the distance between him and the ruins. Once he enters the city structures he and his companions are out of sight. We race to the ruins in a hopeless endeavor to beat Lainn and his company to the tower. I wish that we had more time to admire this fallen city as we dash through the long-ago abandoned streets, our foot falls echoing through the alley ways, once beautiful and majestic. I can see the beauty that has been hidden away for centuries as we race to the tower that looks to be placed in the center of the ancient city. That is where we will find Cailleach’s final resting place along with the Spear of Lugh. That’s what Gibbon said.

  I look toward Alaric and he’s as desperate as I am. I can see it in his face, the grim determination. We are going to lose the Spear of Lugh, Lainn’s advantage is too great. It takes us time to navigate the city ruins, and we slow our pace as we traverse this sad place, once full of life. The tower looms before us. With one last look at our companions we gingerly enter the spire and climb the flagstone steps that wind upwards to the open pinnacle of the tower.

  Our group enters the frozen shrine to see Cú Chulainn reaching for the Spear of Lugh. It’s not what I was expecting. The spear stands tall and proud before him, it’s spearhead is much more broad than I thought it would be. It resembles the blade of a short sword. The outer edges gleam silver and encase the golden center of the blade. Embedded within the metal center of the weapon are three amethyst colored stones that pulse with power, and the blade appears to be bathed in a swirling violet-purple light. Without thinking in my desperation, I choke out, “Wait!” My voice rings out to echo around the open shrine.

  He looks up at me, stopping his forward momentum for just a moment, his eyes blazing in triumph, before turning back to his prize. He tries to wrench it free with a mighty yank, but it holds firm. Once more he tries again and roars, “For my Queen!” Again, the spear holds true in its icy base, and hope blossoms in my chest.

  I pull free of Alaric’s hold and walk forward to address the demigod before me, and ask, “You do this for Morríganna, but what of your kindred, Lainn? What would you do for her?”

  He is a massive male, all hard lines and muscles. His skin is bronze, his hair is long and wild, it’s an auburn red with golden highlights, and tipped with a white blond, an odd combination. He freezes, turning his penetrating green eyes to me before saying, “Morríganna warned me about you. She said to not believe a word you uttered, that you have everyone fooled, and that you will be the downfall of our world. She said that she brought me back from The Underworld to protect The Otherworld from you and the army that you are amassing, that only the two of us together could protect the fae from your devious plans for the realms of the living. But now you speak of the dead, you speak of my long lost Fandra. Why is that? What of my kindred, what does she have to do with any of this? Why would you bring her into the matters of this realm? She is lost to me. I died for her, because living in this world was just too damn hard after she was killed, but even in death we were separated. We will forever more be separated. She roams the halls of The Overworld as we speak, all the while I was doomed to reside in The Underworld. I know my fate now, but Morríganna has given me a new beginning. A new purpose.”

  Shrugging off his accusations, I press my point, “Morríganna is deceiving you, Cú Chulainn. She is using you. She is counting on the fact that you feel indebted to her for giving you your life back. She’s twisting the facts and bending you to her will. It’s true, Fandra is not here, her soul was pure, and she ascended to The Overworld and Morríganna is delighting in the fact that she is out of the way. I simply ask, what would you do to reunite with your kindred?”

  He cocks his head, looking my way and says, “I would do anything, but it can’t be done! Can it?”

  Seizing the moment, I counter, “I believe that you can change your destiny, Cú Chulainn.”

  Lugh walks forward, interrupting my momentum in his haste to address his son, “Lainn, my son, I have missed you so. I have mourned your loss… and as I stand here and look upon you, I thank our creator that you are here, but you should know, that in this, we walk a separate path. As you know now, The Morrígan leads The Realms to war. You are walking down a destructive path. It’s not your fault, but you need to re-evaluate what you are doing and why you feel compelled to follow Morríganna. It is not Ashlinn that poses a threat to this world but The Morrígan and her sisters.”

  Cú Chulainn stills, and says, “No, Father, you are wrong. She is my liege. She raised me from The Underworld. I owe her my life. She saved me from the depths of hell, from my eternal torture. She loves me. Why else would she bring me back?”

  I step forward and ask quietly, “Has she taken the place of your kindred in your heart? Does she fill that void? Has she truly saved you from your eternal torture?”

  “No! But…!” Cú Chulainn falters and then clasps his chest as if the pain within is about to bring him to his knees. He stumbles forward placing a hand on the frozen entombment of Cailleach, before pausing to raise a flask to his lips.

  “No! Don’t drink!” I frantically demand.

  Lugh follows my lead, “Son, please don’t drink from that flask. She has poisoned you. You drink of her cursed elixir. She has cursed you to do her bidding. To follow her direction without question.”

  I chime in, “You aren’t the first to drink of her elixir. It makes you numb to your actions. It urges you to follow her will.”

  The foot soldiers on either side of Cú Chulainn begin to nervously shift from side to side as we continue. The one to his right leans into his side, cajoling, “Lainn, we need to go. Get the spear and let’s leave this place. Now. Our mistress awaits.”

  He turns to glare at the Fomorian beside him, and grits out between clenched teeth, his deep voice ricochets about the cavern, “I. Have. Tried. It won’t budge.”

  The soldiers around him descend the dais on which the goddess lies in repose. She is incased in ice, crystalized and shining. From where I stand, I can’t see what she looks like, but she appears to be perfectly preserved and serene. The soldiers on the other hand have become menacing as they take up arms to come between us and their demigod commander. All of us pull a weapon in reaction to their defensive stance. I look over to Alaric and through our link I say, “I think we are losing him. The curse… it has him in her thrall.”

  Nodding he steps forward, brandishing the Sword of Light, its beautiful green fire licking up and down the blade. All eyes turn to Alaric, he gains everyone’s attention when he announces, “Cú Chulainn, think about who you align with, Luc knew something on The Morrígan. Whatever it was, he was certain that you would despise her if you knew the truth. He said as much, not three days after she performed the ritual to bring you back. She definitely has something to hide by her reaction to their conversation.”

  “Luc?!” Cú Chulainn roars, “Lucifer
has had centuries to share whatever it is that he thinks he knows. He took delight in torturing me in The Underworld. He knows nothing.”

  “Really?”

  Everyone startles when we hear Luc’s deep baritone voice entering the chamber from behind us. We part to allow him through, so he can address Cú Chulainn.

  “You! What are you doing here?!” Lainn demands. “You have no place here in Faerie. If you are here for me, then you should know that I won’t go back! Not ever.” With that declaration, he drinks deeply of the wineskin in his hands, and I can see the elixir take hold. His body visibly relaxes, as he ties the skin to his waist before turning back to Luc.

  Luc strides forward, his torso is bare, sporting all his many tribal Celtic tattoos, and he announces for all to hear, “I’m not here to take you back, Lainn. I’m here to deliver the truth to you. A truth that is long past your discovering. You deserve to know what happened all those years ago. You need to know that The Morrígan is the reason why your precious Fandra met such an untimely demise.”

  “You’re wrong! You know nothing! The only reason why you are here is to entertain yourself and create chaos. Your depravity knows no boundaries.” Lainn spits out.

  I snort, not able to contain myself because I’m in total agreement with Lainn on that point.

  Luc shoots me a derisive glare, his eyes flash in aggravation before continuing in earnest, “Think about it Cú Chulainn. You and Morríganna were lovers. Were you not? Then, along comes Fandra, and you drop her like a hot potato when you recognize your kindred bond. Everyone in the realm knew she was the scorned lover. How do you think a goddess of her station felt when you left her for a mere faerie? Don’t get me wrong, from your memories, I could see that she was quite majical to look upon, just like our dear Jasmine over here.” Luc indicates Jaz with a wave of his hand before continuing, “While you ran off to playhouse with your kindred, Morríganna was seething in your rejection of her. You know her better than most. What do you think she did?” I can see that someone is finally getting through to Lainn. Of all people it had to be Luc. I narrow my eyes as he continues, my mind reeling at the implication. “How do you think Manannán found out about you and Fandra so quickly? The two of you hadn’t been together even a month. They were estranged, were they not?” He pauses here to allow us all to ponder on what happened before continuing, “I’ll tell you how, Morríganna wanted you back, so she did the one thing she could think of to make that happen. She went straight to her brother and spilled the beans. She incited a fury within him and then stepped back to watch the fireworks. Your precious liege is the one responsible for Fandra’s death. She sold the two of you out, just for spite and Fandra paid the ultimate price! And now you warm Morríganna’s bed sheets, night after night!” He declares.

  Jasmine and I both gasp at the revelation. Oh my God. I look up to gage Lainn’s reaction. Only to see fury wash over his features. Luc is inciting a rolling, boiling rage within the demigod before us. He roars, “Lies! All lies! You are the master manipulator. Morríganna… she cares about me. She loves me! She would never… She knew what Fandra meant to me.” He trails off. His mind reeling. Where there was rage just moments before, there is now indecision and pain clearly written on his face. His company begins to shift nervously, not sure what to do. This clearly is not how they expected this would go.

  It’s at that moment that the spirit of Cailleach rises from her resting place and we all still to see that her warrior guardians have awakened around us as well. Their spiritual forms surround us in the pinnacle of the tower. Cailleach reaches out to Cú Chulainn, her ethereal form is stunning. She reminds me of the winter fae in her crystalline beauty. Her spiritual form hovers above the ground before she says, “I’ve waited for you for a long time Cú Chulainn.” As she speaks the rock above us begins to tremble and crumble. In the distance I hear pebbles of rock as they fall to bounce and ricochet against the ground below us. I look up to see a small opening in the rock ceiling above us. Just enough to see the rays of light breaking through the fissures to the bright skies of the morning above.

  Cailleach’s form shimmers and she smiles, I feel the urge to go to her to guide her home but resist. She looks to Lainn and says in her thin ghostly voice, “You and your plight have awakened me, demigod. You have a choice to make. I believe that you will choose true. Once you have been able to gain clarity. I see in you a kindred soul, one who has been separated from your love. Now my child, take the spear. The fate of The Realms will be yours to bear. Listen to your heart, warrior. Always. It will be your compass home.”

  “Nooo,” the whispered gasp escapes me, and I look to Alaric and my companions in desperation, not understanding why she would give the spear to Cú Chulainn and ask, “Why?” Shaking my head not understanding her actions. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I see that Thendar and Gibbon have begun to slink back out of the chamber trying to go unnoticed. Thendar looks at me sadly before turning away to scurry out of the room alongside Gibbon. I’m sorry to see them go. I really liked those two dwarfs, but I’m not surprised to see them leave as all hell is about to break loose.

  Several things happen at once. The ceiling above us begins to crack wide open, and rock begins to rain down on the forgotten city. Huge chunks of rock and earth begin to fall, crashing to the ground, the sound is deafening and the floor beneath us shakes. Cú Chulainn reaches for the Spear of Lugh and wrenches if free of its icy grip that it has been incased in. As if on cue, a roar of raven wings converges upon us from the opening above and begin to swirl in mass to the right of Cú Chulainn. The Morrígan makes a dramatic entrance. I move to Alaric’s side and our warriors flank us as our greatest enemy materializes in front of us in a flurry of black winged ravens. As her form quickly knits itself together, she stands tall while the rock ceiling above us continues to collapse. Clad in a slick black catsuit, thigh high boots, and her self-appointed onyx crown she looks about her minions, but she has eyes only for the handsome demigod. She saunters his way, her long ebony hair swaying in the breeze and she smiles seductively up at him, before pulling his mouth down to meet her own, delivering a hungry, demanding kiss. Smiling she pulls away, patting his cheek, as though he were a very good boy.

  Pulling my eyes from the disturbing seen, I see Cailleach shimmering form begin to rise, she points to Lainn and says, “Remember my words, warrior, listen to your heart. Only then can you change your fate.” With those cryptic words, everyone in attendance witness, in one breath taking moment, Cailleach’s shimmering ghostly form reuniting with her star-crossed lover. Their essences swirling around one another as their ghostly forms continue to rise skyward in a dance of celebration and devotion. Without a moment’s hesitation, I call on my Valkyrie Keepers and they appear with their paired Guardians in the sky above us to usher the two to The Overworld, followed by her warrior guardians.

  My attention is quickly redirected as The Morrígan takes control of her foot soldiers and her prize zombie. My heart aches for Cú Chulainn. He is once more lost to her thrall. I step forward and call out, “Lainn, you have a choice! You can still choose the right path. It’s up to you.”

  Morríganna glares back at me. Her look is one of pure hatred and promised retribution. Garrik and Tolin step forward almost at the same moment as our enemy makes a move. I can tell that things are about to go from bad to worse, but before they are able to take more than a couple of steps, Morríganna’s whip snaps forward finding a target. In a split second, I see Garrik’s form flying away from us through the air at the end of her whip, just like when she took Alaric. Her maniacal laughter rings on the air before she strides forward and backhands Garrik, her whip strangling him as he claws at his neck. “Traitor!” She screams her accusation, damning her prey. “I gave you everything and yet you betray me?! End him now!!” My heart lurches at her demand. Turning, she marches away from Garrik.

  All hell breaks loose as Tolin morphs into his berserker form along with every other Fomorian in the room save for Gar
rik who is still struggling with the whip that is wrapped tightly around his neck. Morríganna raises her hand as she walks away to ward off the majic that we have begun to hurl at her. She laughs wickedly and turns back to us behind her shield. I toss fire ball after fire ball at her and she just laughs as my majic dissipates as it hits her shield. Dagda and Lugh join in and we begin hammering away at her defenses. She looks over her shoulder with a wicked smirk and tugs Garrik further into her bubble of protection. Tolin’s berserker form goes ballistic and he begins to pound mercilessly at her invisible wall. Cameron is by his side but nothing we have done has had any effect on her dark majic.

  Knowing that time is running out for Garrik, I scream, “Garrik!” I race forward to be stopped by Alaric and Dagda. Luc steps in front of me, blocking my view. I push around them and watch, horrified as Garrik struggles to gain his feet. Time stands still, and I can do nothing more than watch as an ax swings down, severing his head from his body. “Nooo! No,” I cry, falling to my knees in horror as I see Garrik’s head tumble to the ground, his eyes wide in shock before the light fades from them.

  “Why?! Why would you?!” I cry out. My eyes are glued to Garrik’s lifeless ones. In shock, I watch his crimson blood pool on the stone tiles. Tolin sinks to his knees, his forehead leaning against the invisible wall that separates us from one of our own fallen.

  Morríganna stills, cocking her head assessing me, her voice and eyes are flat before addressing me, “Ashlinn, Mother Keeper,” She sneers, “I will cut everyone you hold dear from your pathetic life. And I will take joy in it. You don’t even remember me. Yet you seek to challenge me? You will rue the day that you entered into this realm.” Her gaze moves to Alaric, her voice becoming more seductive, “Hello, pet. I’ve missed you so. Luc had no right to take you from me. He cut our time together too short. Until we meet again.” A wicked smile full of deranged intent twists her features to betray the monster that lives beneath her beautiful façade.