by Jana LaPelle
Millie bends over to kiss me on the forehead and then, in turn, Lillie and Lachlan, gaining their attention before quickly exiting the room saying something about needing to clear the dining room before the meeting. Once again I’m left alone with my children, and I watch them watch me as they continue to suckle, their bright blue eyes locked on mine. Lachlan is the first to finish, and soon after Lillie with both their bellies full, I find that I’m hungry again. Searching my bond with Alaric, I know that he is busy so I’ll have to manage on my own. The two have drifted off, and I find that I’m stuck now in my overstuffed chair with two sleeping infants. There is no way that I can get up without disturbing them. The pillows they are propped on are wrapped around my sides and in my lap. Sighing, I sit back and stroke their downy like dark hair and soft cheeks. I am so in love with these two, and I can’t even remember what it was like before they came along. I would not trade it for anything. Alaric and I talked about it, and we both decided that if we are destined to have a large family, then so be it. We are both at peace with it. That’s where Jasmine and Lexie find me, stuck in my chair marveling over the miracle of my children.
Jasmine takes in the scene and quickly flies over and gently picks up Lillie and cradles her in her arms. It takes Lexie a bit longer to make her way over to take Lachlan allowing me the freedom of movement. I quickly remove the pillows and stand to put everything back in its place. Lachlan begins to whimper, and Lexie kisses his forehead and hands him back to me. Everyone knows that he has become quite the momma’s boy. Smiling at my two favorite females, I say, “I’m hungry let’s go back to the kitchen before the meeting. I need to refuel. Thank god for this fast metabolism or I would be as big as a house. I swear these two have me eating full meals every couple of hours.”
Lexie sighs and says, “I fear that I may not be able to fall back on a fast metabolism, I may end up as big as a house before it’s all over with.”
Smiling, I look to Lexie and say, “Not going to happen.”
As the five of us enter the kitchens, Millie and Maith are expecting me. There is a spread laid out, and I quickly make work of the quiche that just came out of the oven, several more muffins, and to my immense surprise, a stack of pancakes. I look over to see Lexie is practically drooling and slide a plate over to her. “Come on little momma, eat. You know you want to.”
Smiling she says, “I may have another one of those muffins. I really liked the lemon cranberry combo.”
Jasmine chimes in, “They were surprisingly good.”
I look over to see that Lillie has woken up to the sound of Jasmine’s voice and Jasmine does what she does best and begins to flutter about the room several feet off the ground and Lillie’s little coos can be heard as she enjoys the ride. Yep, they’re well on their way to being spoiled rotten, and I can’t help the grin that brightens my face.
(Ashlinn)
Alaric has called everyone in on this meeting, including Dagda, and I hear his booming voice before we even enter the library. “My dear boy, where are my grand-niece and nephew?” Lachlan jerks awake in my arms, startled by Dagda’s voice echoing in the hallway. Shaking my head as I enter the room, I see Dagda’s eyes light up once he sees me, Lexie, and Jasmine. Lexie was right about her ambling down the hallway, it is becoming increasingly apparent that she is struggling to keep up even at our slow pace. Dagda addresses Lexie first, ever the gentleman, “How are you, my wee lass?”
Lexie’s laughter bubbles up out of her, and she responds with, “Dagda, I think you may need to have your eyes examined. I am anything but, a wee lass at the moment.”
“Aye, but your beauty lights up the room. You’re literally glowing. Motherhood suits you, my dear,” Pulling her into a hug and placing a kiss on the top of her head, he says, “You are still a wee lass, once this little one is born, you will be able to see your feet again.” Chuckling, he pulls away as Lexie swats his arm.
“Har, har, hilarious and here I thought you were being genuine,” Lexie says as she waddles over to the sofa by the fireplace. Declan gets her situated by placing a small pillow behind her as she gets comfortable. Whatever Declan says through their bond makes her smile up at him, and all is right with the world as they know it.
Alaric gains my attention as everyone gets settled and I move toward him. He is my sun, my gravity, and I’m constantly pulled toward him and want for nothing when he is near. I take a seat to his left with the twins in my arms. They are becoming an arm full as the two continue to grow and gain weight. I nod to Alaric to indicate that I’m ready for him to begin. Dagda walks over and plucks Lillie out of my arms and takes a seat close to Alaric and me. Listening to the larger than life god talk baby talk to my Lillie is beyond funny, and I can’t help the chuckle that escapes my lips before shifting my gaze back to my kindred.
Clearing his throat, he begins, “Ashlinn had a premonition, a vision this morning. We had been planning for the future, and I had upset her and was trying to comfort her. While I was holding Ashlinn, I was able to see her vision as it unfolded. The most important thing I took away from her vision is that The Morrígan means to raise Cú Chulainn from the dead as her hero, her soldier in the war to come.”
“That’s not good,” The Dagda comments while pondering Alaric’s words.
“Of course, tis not good, but that be where we be headed. If The Morrígan succeeds in raising Cú Chulainn from the dead, then she be responsible for tearing a rift between The Realms. The Underworld and The Otherworld be havin’ a serious problem on their hands if that be the case. I be tellin’ ye that this be no good for The Otherworld.” Morgwais says as she comes forward into the room, the look on her face is grave, until her gaze lands on Lachlan and a small smile lights up her face before continuing, “There be laws of nature, laws of the natural order of things, and what The Morrígan intends be very bad for all The Realms.” As she trails off, she walks over and reaches for Lachlan who smiles up at the old witch, and she smiles down at him as she cradles him in her arms.
“Ash, you’re the Keeper of Souls, can you not stop this?” Tolin asks, dragging my attention back to the conversation.
“T, it’s not that simple. I’m the Keeper of Souls within my domain. Souls that have moved on to either The Underworld or The Overworld are outside of my reach. That means that only new souls and old souls that are in-between fall within my sovereignty. The moment a child is conceived, their soul leaves The Soul Reliquary to merge with their new physical form and waits to be born into one of the realms of the living. The opposite is true, once a person’s physical body dies, their soul is once again in-between. That soul will either return to The Soul Reliquary, and wait to be returned to the living, or that soul will be ushered to either The Underworld or The Overworld. Once a soul enters either of those realms, I am no longer the Keeper of that soul. In the case of Cú Chulainn, his soul was ushered into The Underworld. So what I don’t get is his status as a hero? If his soul now resides in The Underworld, the keeper of his soul is now Lucifer, and I can’t imagine that the Prince of Darkness will be very happy to lose Cú Chulainn. The more tortured the soul, the more value they have in The Underworld. I’m willing to bet there’s a reason for Chulainn’s soul ending up in The Underworld, can anyone enlighten me?”
About that time my mother and father appear in the back of the room, “Ash, why are you asking about Lainn?”
“Cú Chulainn? Thank the gods for shortening his name.” I quickly bring my parents up to speed, and she and Dagda share a look. “What is it? You know something about Lainn, so spill.”
Danu nods and continues, “Lainn’s life was complicated, he is the son of Lugh-“
“Wait! As in The Spear of Lugh?”
“Yes. Now let me continue, daughter of mine.” She chastises, with a smile, “As I was saying, he was a demigod, son of Lugh. He had father issues as well as anger issues, but ultimately his heart and soul were in the right place. If not for him, we would not have The Stone of Fál in the form of a crown,
even though the stone was split in a fit of anger. That outburst was out of character for him. Anyhow, he fell in love with a faerie, and the two were bound together in secret. Her name was Fandra, and her beauty was said to rival all others. You see, Fandra was already wed to another, a god of the sea, and even though he had cast her aside, he was enraged that Lainn would dare to dishonor him in such a way. Heaven forbid that his jilted wife find another.” The scorn in my mother’s words rings clear. “In his rage, Manannán, the sea god, lashed out and killed Fandra, and with her blood on his hands he pointed to Chulainn and said, “Her blood is on your hands! How dare you disrespect me? I’m a god, and you are beneath me! You should remember your place, Cú Chulainn. From this day forth, you will forever live with the guilt of her death on your hands!” Lainn was devastated.”
“What a ginormous prick! Not to mention a self-absorbed ass. Tell me that Lainn struck him down on that very spot!”
“No, my dear, it is said that from that moment on, he was a broken male. You see, he did blame himself for the death of his one true love, they were kindred spirits and what was left of his existence in Faerie was abysmal. He never really recovered. I think that is the reason behind his volatile temperament at The Stone of Fál. In Lainn’s final battle, it is said that he entered the skirmish resigned to his fate, and in the end, he was brutally killed as his adversary lopped off his head. He was already dying from the mortal wounds he took to his chest and abdomen, but in the end, he tied himself to a standing stone so that he would die on his feet, and it was there that the final blow took place.”
The room is quiet, and I’m left to sift through the knowledge that was imparted to me through my assimilation with The Tree of Life, and it is then that I realize, “Oh no! Lainn went to The Underworld and Fandra’s soul went to The Overworld. Their souls will be separated for an eternity, no wonder his is a tortured soul.”
Alaric takes my hand and gains my attention before speaking, “As enlightening as all this is, we need to figure out how to stop this from happening.”
“Alaric, that’s not how my visions work. We don’t stop them. They will happen, it’s what we do to prepare for what is about to take place that will make the difference.”
“Ash, we have to stop this from happening, the lengths that they are willing to go to is despicable.”
Standing, I gain his attention, “We can’t stop what we know is about to happen. Alaric, we have no idea where The Morrígan and her sisters can be found, no idea when this will happen, and until we can figure out where the ritual takes place, we can only react. We’ve only seen the beginning of the ritual. Nothing else. It will happen. There is nothing we can do to stop it.”
“There has to be something, Ashlinn.”
“No. Honestly, there’s nothing. I’m sorry, we cannot stop this from happening. It will be-”
“How can you be so calm?”
“Because, Alaric, Lainn, wants nothing more than to be with Fandra and she is in The Overworld.”
“Ash, I know what you’re thinking, but we have no idea what Chulainn’s state of mind will be once he is returned to the living. He could be stark raving mad after spending centuries in The Underworld. Do you think for one moment that he will not feel gratitude and even indebted to The Morrígan? He will see her as the one that saved him from a fate worse than death.”
Dagda interrupts us with a heavy sigh, “There is something else you should know, Cú Chulainn was not only a hero but one that was rarely bested in battle. He was known for his ríastrad, or battle rage. Much like a Fomorian, he physically transforms during battle. He would transform into a monstrous warrior when he gave into his ríastrad.” He concludes grimly while rocking Lillie in his arms.
My mother makes her way through the group that is gathered around Dagda and asks, “May I?” He hands Lillie over, and she stands with my sleepy daughter in her arms and says, “One last thing, Lainn and The Morrígan were once lovers, and though they did not always see eye to eye, their relationship was a passionate one.”
“Well, this just keeps getting better and better.” Jasmine quips. “I had heard the legends of Cú Chulainn but not that last bit about him and The Morrígan.”
Lexie makes to stand, and Declan pulls her back, asking, “Alexia, where do you think you’re going? You need to stay put, rest, and put your feet up.”
“Declan, I need to get busy. I know that I’m going to have to sit this out, but I can help from the sidelines.” I can tell it takes most of her energy to stand and I stand to assist my sister, but Declan is there. She looks him in the eye and says, “I have to do this for all of them, including you. Hopefully, it won’t take long.”
“Lexie, what do you intend?” I ask.
“A charm for all of you to ward off The Morrígan, so that her curse is unable to take hold, so that none of you will be bent to her will if any of you were to be captured. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now, especially after what happened to Daria. And no, her curse has not been lifted. Blood majic is wicked, dark majic. We have determined that the only way to reverse The Morrígan’s curse is either by her death or she willingly gives her blood to reverse the effects. We all know that she will not voluntarily lift the curse, so we need to devise a plan to eliminate her and her sisters. Nemus, Morgwais, I’m really close to a breakthrough on this charm I have in mind for Ashlinn’s Sentinels, Guardian and Keeper alike, do you mind lending me a hand?”
Morgwais gently gives Lachlan back to me and turns to Lexie, “Come Mother Druid, let’s go make some majic! Ye know, charms be one of me favorites.” Tsking, she takes Lexie’s hand and says, “After this wee bit of majic, ye be takin’ it easy from here on out. Morgwais will see to ye and yer babe. Morgwais be blessed to be a part of such a blessed and majical family.”
Lexie smiles at the ancient witch but before she can say anything, I’m by both of their sides and I pull Morgwais into a hug, “It is Lexie and me that are blessed to have you with us. I don’t know what I would have done without you and your guidance.”
To my astonishment, Morgwais, blushes, “No me dear sweet child, it be Morgwais that be blessed. Now me thinks that there be planning to be done and majic to be made. Come, Alexia, we have work to do.” Nemus just grunts and I can see Declan has checked in with Lexie through their bond before Lexie takes Morgwais’ hand and the two make their way out of the room with Nemus following closely behind.
Jasmine pipes up, “So what is the likelihood that The Morrígan will seduce Chulainn?’
“Well she tried it once, after Fandra’s death, and he wanted none of that, but after his time in The Underworld, who knows what he will do? His sense of right and wrong could be off kilter,” My mother says while playing with Lillie.
Camoryn chimes in, while pulling Jasmine to his side, “We have no idea as to where or when this is going to take place. I say we figure out who would know where Chulainn was laid to rest. That is probably our biggest clue.”
“Cam, you’re a genius,” Jasmine gushes, and I have to agree.
“Camoryn has a point, who would know the location of his burial?”
“Well, the one person that should know has been in seclusion since Chulainn’s death. He blames himself for his son’s ill-fated life. You see, the sea god that took Fandra’s life was Lugh’s very own foster father, Manannán. Lugh warned Chulainn that Fandra was already spoken for but by that time it was too late. Not that anything could have kept the two star-crossed lovers apart once the kindred bond was completed. Manannán has always been a self-centered, overbearing ass, but he took Lugh in and became his mentor. His generosity was never extended to Lugh’s son. For one reason or another, there was always a particular animosity there. I believe that Lugh tried to protect Lainn but in the end, Lainn was an adult and the decisions he made were his own. So, Lugh buried his son and retreated from everyone to his fortress in the sky. No one has tried to contact him in ages. There is a constant storm that swirls around his fortress, a testa
ment to the sky god’s constant internal torture.” Dagda imparts with a sigh.
Several people speak up at once and say, “You’re talking about the Northern Badlands.”
“Perfect, now we’re talking about the badlands, that can’t be good,” I mutter, looking down at Lachlan. “So Lugh is a sky god and has the ability to summon storms solely based on his mood. How long has Lainn been gone from this world? I’m guessing that the tempest around his fortress has been going on for a while?”
Alaric gains my attention as he takes Lachlan from me and says, “Well it’s rumored, in the Northern Territories, that the Badlands have been around for several centuries. No one ventures very far into the Badlands, although there are times when the storms are practically nonexistent, but the terrain is battered and beaten, and not much grows there.”
Not exactly sure where my irritation is stemming from, I snap, “Is it too much to ask for something to be easy for once? I mean, seriously? I know that five wonderful months have passed, and I’m so very thankful for these quiet moments, but I want to be around to enjoy their first words, to see their first steps. How, pray tell, am I going to be here for that? I wish that the self-righteous witch would impale herself on her sword. But no….” Suddenly, I realize that I was actually speaking out loud. Taking a deep calming breath before apologizing for my outburst, “I’m sorry, I’m not sure where that came from. It’s just…” I shake my head as Lillie and Lachlan begin to whimper sensing my mood, and I sense that it’s about time to put them down for a nap. Frustrated, I look up at Alaric, and he pulls me into a one arm hug and kisses the top of my head, and I melt into his embrace.
“Come, mo grá, I know you’re frustrated, but I believe that we have some time before we need to make a move. We’ll figure this out and come up with a game plan.” He trails off, his penetrating gaze seeing deeply within my soul, calming my turbulent thoughts. He has the power to soothe me with a single glance.