by Jana LaPelle
Down below I hear a clamoring to enter the Keep, no doubt to come to our aid but it would appear that the doors have been sealed, not sure how that has happened. The audience before us has quickly moved away from the center of the turret and are now giving the dark goddess a wide berth. Her amusement is evident as a dark chuckle issues forth before her lavender gaze lands on mine.
“I’m afraid my invitation to this most ostentatious celebration was lost in the mail. Isn’t that something that would be said in The Mortal Realm? After all, the US Postal service is not all that reliable nowadays, now is it?” Her voice is charismatic and persuasive and not at all like I remember from my encounter with Daria. At the moment she appears quite affable.
Stepping forward, I say, “You might find it hard to believe, but the US Postal service is actually pretty reliable. You were not invited, and you are not welcome! What are you doing here?”
The Morrígan directs her attention over my shoulder, and I look back to see my mother and father, Dagda, and Airmed and Āemarick walk forward. The goddesses take the children from Alaric and Tarron and take their stand behind the two. She laughs again, and her smile turning to a sneer, “Danu, sister, you must be so proud. The bastard child you bore has grown up to become a goddess in her own right.”
I hear snarls all around me as I realize that Alaric, Tarron, my father, and Nym have all taken offense at the term. My Guards have drawn their swords, and there is a general unrest amongst the crowd before us as I take another step forward to address my nemesis, “My, my, you do love to cause a stir. Morríganna, what is it that you want? You never do anything without a purpose behind it. Finish your business here and be gone!”
Her face melts into pure hatred when she looks upon me, “I’m tired of your insolence, child.”
“Make no mistake, I am no child.” I fling back at her.
“You have no idea who you are dealing with! I have been around since the beginning of time! You have engaged in a dangerous game with me. I underestimated you once. I will not make that mistake again. Mark my words, The Realms will bow to me, and I will rule.” The phantom queen promises.
Something in me stirs, and my anger unfolds as I point at her, flames writhing up and down my arms, “You have lost your way! You have strayed from the path our Father set before us! You seek glory! You seek to conquer all he holds dear, Morríganna! If you continue on this path, you are in danger of losing your soul forever. You are in danger of becoming one of the fallen.” The words spill from my mouth, from the very heart of me and I realize that it is my former self that has spoken the words.
Her menacing chuckle has everyone taking a step backward, “I should have known why you seemed so familiar to me, Ashliel, it is so very nice to see you in the realms of the living. You couldn’t stand to be away from your precious Danu any longer? What kind of pact did you make with our father? I can see that your memories of The Overworld have been wiped. At least I know where I come from. Ignorance must be bliss.” Her attention goes to the twins, “My, my, what do we have here? I see that you have even spawn your very own…”
“Don’t you dare speak ill of my children. You heinous witch, what is your reason for being here? Spill it. You have outworn your welcome.”
“Very well,” Her gaze roams from me to Alaric and then to Tarron. Her sly smile graces her lips as she approaches us. Seduction is her game, and her target is Tarron. Her words are throaty and bewitching, “Daria wanted you all for herself, and I can certainly see why. Tarron Airlon Rí, king of The Horde, you are indeed a handsome male, and I find that I have an affinity toward incubus. I find your kind to be rather… delicious. I need a strong male like you by my side. We could rule The Horde together. You could be my champion, my warrior king. Together we could have it all.” As she comes to stand behind him, she molds herself against his back and wraps her arms around him running her hands down his chest and back up again, nipping at his ear. Her voice breathless, “My, aren’t you quite the male specimen. You and I could be really good together. Yes, I think we could fit right nicely together. Don’t you think?” Her hands roam across his broad chest to land on his large biceps as she continues her perusal of his body and her dark lure.
Tarron stands as still as a statue as the phantom queen does her best to openly seduce him, the moment I feel his dark nature stir, I act, “Together? What a joke. We both know that you would castrate him in the name of The Realms, in the name of you gaining power. Tarron being found worthy by the Stone of Fál threatens your reign. After all, you have proclaimed yourself the Fomorian queen, and that is no longer the case!” I end my rant breaking the dark spell that she was weaving over Tarron.
“You filthy little bitch, I almost had him!” Venom dripping from her words.
Dagda speaks up before I have a chance to retort, “Morríganna, enough. I have stood back and held my tongue allowing Ashlinn the opportunity to address this confrontation with you, but you are way out of line. You have outworn your welcome here. You have forgotten your station, and you are walking a dangerous path. Your dark and twisted plans in your vie for power has corrupted your soul. You threaten the balance for all The Realms. There is still time to step back, to -“
“To what Dagda?” she screams. “To follow my Father’s orders, his directive? The Mortal Realm no longer recognizes us. They have forgotten us and worship their technology in our stead. Even our own Father has forgotten us! We were supposed to be the great gods and goddesses over all The Realms, but we have become nothing! Our existence no longer has any meaning! How can the great Dagda become so complacent in your role here in The Otherworld? How can you just roll over and be okay with your station now? You had the heart of a lion, a great and mighty warrior, you were The Dagda! What are you now? A babysitter? My, my how the mighty have fallen!” She pauses and takes us all in as she takes her place in the center of the rooftop. Turning in a circle she address us all, “I will no longer go quietly into the night to be forgotten. I will do everything in my power to make all The Realms bow to me! Mark my words.” She shouts, “Soon, I will have a champion, a warrior to rival all warriors and together we will lead my army to victory. Then… then you will all bow to me! If you do not stand with my sisters and me, then you stand against me, and I will annihilate anyone that stands in my way. You have been given fair warning, my little queen. Nothing good will come from your defiance. You may have won our battle over The Tree of Life, but you will not prevail. Do not stand in my way or you will regret the outcome. None of the ones you hold dear will be safe from me if you choose to stay your path.”
Her challenge rings forth into the night, and I boldly step forward, Alaric by my side, my Guard, my family, and my friends gather behind and around me as I pronounce, “How dare you come here tonight, uninvited and challenge us and our intentions to keep The Realms safe from the likes of you. Morríganna you have thrown down the gauntlet, and we accept your challenge. I had hoped that it would not come to war, but your intentions are clear. If it is war you want, it is war you will get. You and your followers are now an enemy to all The Realms. Your business here is complete.”
An evil sneer graces her face marring her beautiful façade before she concludes, “You have all been forewarned. Either join me, or I will crush you all beneath my assault. Be careful what you wish for little queen because war is coming and I will relish it. It has been too long since my last battle, and I thirst for it! ” She leaves the way she arrived. Her form shimmers and breaks apart into a swarm of sooty black ravens, their chorus of caws echoing into the night. They circle the turret rooftop several times, diving down trying to beck and claw at us, the sound of the multitude of ravens is deafening. Then suddenly they flock west, leaving us to stare after her in nervous apprehension.
Chapter 10
(Ashlinn)
Silence hangs heavy in the night. I realize now that I’ve been deluding myself for months. This moment was inevitable, and now that it has come and gone, I’m conflicted by my
actions. I just solidified war with The Morrígan and her army. My breathing has become ragged, and my legs begin to tremble. The flames that erupted before extinguish. Alaric senses that my knees are about to buckle and his arm goes around me pulling me in close, lending me his strength and comforting me, “I’ve got you, mo grá. You did well.”
I look over to see that Declan has Lexie in his arms and she is visibly shaken by the encounter. She nods and says, “Alaric’s right, I couldn’t believe how you stood your ground with her. She was down-right intimidating. So what’s next? And what the heck was up with the paint on her face, don’t get me wrong it was beautiful, in a sinister sort of way, I just found it rather odd.”
Jasmine and my mother have made their way toward us while the rest of those in attendance have begun forming groups amongst themselves and engage in conversation. The two share a look but its Jasmine that speaks up, “The Morrígan came here tonight with every intention of solidifying war between us. The paint she wore on her face this evening, was her war paint. It is an ancient Celtic custom.”
“So what you’re saying is that I played right into her hands.”
“No, that’s not what I’m saying at all. War has been inevitable for a long time, you know it, I know it, everyone with half a brain who knows what’s going on in The Realms knows it. The only difference now is that you have accepted her challenge publicly. Now we can officially prepare for the battles to come. Tonight you solidified a call to arms. Are you ready, Ash? You have a good and pure soul, I’m afraid that you may not be prepared for the challenges ahead. We will not go to battle tonight, tomorrow, or even in a month, but make no mistake the countdown has begun.” She says gravely, her huge crystal blue eyes on my own.
Nodding, I say, “Okay, I get what you’re saying. We need to make plans. I say that with everyone in attendance this evening we gather all the leaders together for strategizing. Lexie, you need your rest. I can catch you up once we get back home tomorrow. Go on, Declan, take care of her and get her settled. We’ll see you in a bit. Where is Morgwais?” I ask, looking around. I could have sworn that I saw her before everything went to hell in a handbasket.
“I haven’t seen her since the phantom queen made her appearance. I have no idea as to where she has disappeared to. I guess she will show up shortly. Promise to catch me up tomorrow? You’re right, Ash, I’m tired and need some rest.”
Pulling Lexie into a hug, I whisper, “Don’t you worry, we have time. Going home will give us the time we need. Get some rest.” I kiss her cheek and lovingly pat her large baby bump before Declan sweeps her up and carries her away.
“Feeling better?” Alaric asks, concern etched on his face.
“Why do I feel like this war to come is her against me? Why has she made this conflict so personal? I don’t understand.” I say as I gaze up at him. Dropping my gaze, I feel as though I’m on the verge of tears, tears of anger and frustration.
I sense Tarron join our group, “So… castration?” With those two words, he actually lightens my mood.
Everyone around us begins to chuckle, and I look up into his sea green eyes and throw my head back as laughter bubbles up out of me as I remember the look on his face. Giggling, I say, “I may have gotten a little carried away. Your succumbing to her was not an option. I thought if I threw that in it would get your attention.”
“Well, that definitely got my attention. For future reference, males have a tendency to cringe when the term castrate, or castration is used in a sentence directed at them,” he says smiling before turning serious, “Ashlinn, I know that tonight did not turn out as you would have liked, but all things considered, the people of Faerie will now understand what we are up against. In the last several minutes there have been more than a handful of couriers sent back to their home courts with word of what transpired here this evening.”
Alaric gains my attention, “That’s a good thing. Let’s get the twins, we can change if you want, and we can see to them before we gather everyone together. That will give us time to gather our thoughts before meeting with the leaders of The Realm.”
“That sounds like a plan, where are the twins?” I look over to see that my father has Lachlan and Āemarick has Lillie, the two are bonding over their grandchildren. As we approach, I hear my miniature version of Alaric begin to fuss. Smiling, I sidle up to my Dad and ask, “Everything okay?”
“This grandson of mine is spoiled completely rotten. He wants nothing to do with me or anyone else for that matter.” My father is frustrated as he hands Lachlan over to me, and my son instantly quiets. I pull him in, and he instantly begins to root about, the beads of my gown are immediately in his way, and his angry wail greets us all.
“It really has nothing to do with you or anyone else for that matter, it would seem that he’s hungry. Let me see to the both of them, and then we will meet everyone down below. I’ll see you and mother then,” I say as Alaric and I bid everyone a short farewell. We trace to our chambers with the children in tow. I know that I will cherish every stolen moment that I have with them from this point forward. Our future is now uncertain. Tomorrow we head home to cheat time in The Otherworld, hopefully giving us more time to plan.
(Alaric)
I can sense that she is distancing herself from all of us. She has a tendency of doing that, especially if she has bad news to deliver. The twins have been seen to and are now down, hopefully, for most of the night, and we are making our way down to the library to meet with Nimue and Myrddin before we meet with the other leaders of The Realm. Pulling up short, before we get to the library, I pull Ashlinn to me, “Let me tell them. This is going to be difficult at best.”
“No, Alaric, I need to stop shying away from things because they’re difficult. I have no idea as to the outcome of what is to come, but Nimue needs to know what we are up against. Her sisters have been under the influence of The Morrígan’s curse for months now. Even if we were to break the curse today, I’m not sure what is left of the sisters she remembers.”
“Are you sure? I can relay what you saw just as easily as you can.”
“Yes, I’m sure. Now, let’s do this.” She takes my hand in hers and raises it to her cheek and leans into my touch.
I drink in the sight of her and see that her resolve is firm, and she is the picture of royalty, although, I know she would hate that I think so, what she has not yet realized is that she has become so much more than the young woman she once was from The Mortal Realm. Leaning down, I gently kiss her lips and remember the night of our binding ceremony and how I chased her down the stairs, on our way to the library to meet with everyone. I hope to one day be that carefree again.
She whispers against my lips, “Me too, Elf-Man. Me too.” She reluctantly pulls away, and I let her go. With a heavy sigh, she marches into the chamber before us and asks to know one in particular, “Is everyone here?”
Dagda is standing before the lit fireplace in contemplation but turns to say in his thick Irish accent, “Yes, lass. Everyone that needs to be here is here.”
We scan the room to find Nimue and Myrddin, once I find them we walk over to greet the two of them. “We are so happy that you could join us this evening. I’m sorry that we were so rudely interrupted. How are you holding up?” I ask Nimue.
“As well as can be expected, I have come to terms with the curse that my sisters endure, and I’m eager for war. The only way to free them is for The Morrígan to die. If it were to be by my hand then so be it. We are at your service My Lord and Lady.” Nimue says stoically.
I can feel Ashlinn stiffen beside me before she says, “It’s good to see you both. Now, let’s everyone take a seat, and we’ll get started.”
Jasmine comes over with a look of concern, “Ash, what’s up? What’s going on?”
“You’ll see, but do you mind staying close?”
“Not at all, I’m always here for you. You know that.” Jasmine takes her other hand lending my kindred her support, and the three of us stand before our
inner circle.
Ashlinn takes a deep breath before she begins, “Yesterday morning we shared with most of you about the vision I had earlier that morning.” She pauses and turns to address our guest, “Nimue, Myrddin, in a nutshell, I saw The Morrígan in the future and her plan, the one she eluded to tonight, is to bring Cú Chulainn back from the dead.” She pauses as a gasp escapes Nimue and Myrddin looks on, his face grim before Ashlinn continues, “What we didn’t reveal to everyone else were the gruesome details of my vision. It didn’t feel right to do so without Nimue and Myrddin here. You see, in my vision, there was quite a large gathering in what we now believe to be Lainn’s crypt. It was a dark, dank place and the phantom queen stood before her followers which included a coven of witches, more specifically… necromancers. The ritual that they were in the process of performing required a substantial blood sacrifice. Morgwais said that what The Morrígan means to do will cause a rift between The Realms and I believe that she’s right.”
Ashlinn pauses and squeezes my hand and looks up at me and I nod, encouraging her to continue. Her gaze goes to Nimue and then drops to her feet before she takes a deep breath to continue. When she looks back up her eyes are brimming with tears, and I put my arm around her, knowing how hard this is for her. “Nimue… your sisterhood was in attendance. The Morrígan will sacrifice your sisters to raise a fallen hero. She will sacrifice them all to accomplish her end goal.”
Nimue shrieks as she is overcome with anguish at hearing Ashlinn’s words and everyone in attendance appears to be shocked by her revelation as a low buzz of conversation takes place. The Lady of the Lake collapses into Myrddin’s embrace, murmuring, “No, no, no… We need to stop this from happening. I want my sisters back, I need them back. I don’t think I can go on without them. Myrddin, how do we stop this?”