Gates of Eden: Starter Library

by Theophilus Monroe

  But it wasn't true that I sided with one or the other side in a battle. Sometimes there were individual warriors on either side who honored me. The more times I intervened in wars the more soldiers across the isles began to call upon me. I did not always care, one way or another, which side should emerge victoriously. Sometimes it was the hearts of certain honorable and brave men and women who garnished my affections. I wanted them to survive and endure as heroes.

  "What are we doing?" I asked myself.

  "We're making a difference. We're helping people."

  What the... Macha asked a question. Anand responded. But who am I?

  I am Babd...

  But I am the Morrigan. Three but one. Together, one divinity, one personality. But we were still distinct? I couldn't wrap my mind around the very mystery of my own essence.

  "We must consider our future," I responded.

  "We need to find love," Macha replied.

  Anand huffed. "Love can wait."

  "It can wait, but why should we?" I asked, confused by the fact that I was both talking to my sister and myself all at once. "If we find love of our own we will ever be free of the Dagda. We will rule the domains of both the living and the dead."

  "So we're doing this for the power?" Anand asked.

  "We're doing it for love!" Macha insisted. "What is eternity, even as a goddess, if one cannot love and be loved!"

  "You're both right," I said. "There is a truth to what each one of us... each part of us... is saying."

  Something arrested our attention. It was a voice—but not one we could hear. It was a bit like the man's prayer before, the dead man who thanked us. But now... no, this man was not dead. He was very much alive. And he wasn't calling to us. But his voice... his spirit... it drew me in, no less.

  "A warrior?" Anand asked.

  "And a bard!" Macha said, giggling with excitement.

  "Yes," I said. "But more than that, his heart aches. Can you feel it?"

  "He wants to be loved..."

  Anand huffed. "And he fights for it. He trains to prove his worth.

  "Come sisters," I said. "Let us examine this man, consider him, and discern why it is his spirit calls to us. It may be that he, like the man before, that death draws near this man and he simply requires our aid."

  When we found the man what we saw was not a man at all. And he was not alone. There was a woman... a woman like him.

  My stomach boiled. Was I jealous of this woman... this thing?

  A part of me wanted to seize her by the scruff of the neck and take her place atop the young warrior. Even in their bestial form, whatever they were, there was something beautiful about them.

  "There are stories of such warriors," Anand said. "Father always examined the children of any village he raided in hopes of finding one."

  We nodded together—any gesture we made we had to do as one.

  "But these two, they do not love each other," Macha said.

  I looked at them more closely, I reached out with my spirit and touched their souls. "The passion between them, it's steeped in rage. It's almost like they've come together as little more than a release."

  "I still hate her," Macha said.

  I chuckled to myself. "But you can feel it, can't you? When they are together he's completely miserable."

  "That's because his heart aches for another..."

  "It's not love he feels," Anand said. "It's loss. It's the ache of his heart that calls us."

  "But this woman, this other creature who is like him..."

  "He doesn't love her," Macha said.

  "I know," I said, grinning for all of us. "But I think we can use her... she can help him secure the revenge he seeks."

  I didn't know how it happened—even as I considered this young warrior, the man who was also a wolf, I saw visions of his own memories. The love he lost. Most recently, a young lady—whose father had given her to another. But there was a pain deeper than that, still. It was buried beneath years of attempts to forget her, a thousand tales the warrior told in hopes of forgetting her...

  "He's in love with a faerie," Macha said.

  Anand laughed. "It's a good thing we're a shapeshifter..."

  "It won't work," Macha said. "He won't be able to love us so long as his heart is still tied to the real faerie princess. If we appear as the faerie, he'll see through it..."

  "We need a strategy," I said. "A way to unravel his past... to resolve his love lost with both the young lady to whom he'd hoped to marry and the faerie he'd met once before."

  "I have a plan," Anand said. "But it isn't going to be easy..."

  "But we must be certain," I said. "That this is the mortal we desire..."

  "I agree," Macha said. "The Dagda said when a god or goddess loves, that love will last forever."

  "Perhaps one whose heart has missed its chance at love so many times will fall more easily once love is finally in reach."

  Anand and Macha seemed convinced that this warrior, this monster, this poet... that he was the one. I, as Babd, was less convinced. Not that I wasn't drawn to him. It wasn't even that I didn't find him attractive. I was as obsessed over this warrior as either of my sisters. And what they felt in our body I felt, too...

  But the path we were following, the way we'd have to secure this man's love. Should he catch us in our scheme it was just as likely to spurn his affections as it would be to win them. But even as I tried to convince myself otherwise, even as I tried to talk myself out of it, the more I watched him, it was too late.

  I loved him already. All of us did.

  17

  CÚ CHULAINN ROLLED over in bed. Aife stared back at him. Ever since they'd first met, more like collided, in the arena they could barely keep their hands off of each other. Cú Chulainn didn't love her. She didn't love him. But they were warriors, the both of them. They were, quite likely, the only two human beings on the earth who possessed the ríastrad. Whether transformed or not, the attraction was undeniable. But that's all it was for either of them. She was using him as much as he was her.

  "How long are we going to keep doing this?" Cú Chulainn asked.

  Aife smirked, leaped on top of Cú Chulainn, and kissed him on the lips. "Until I get bored."

  Cú Chulainn huffed. "You must desire more than this... whatever this is."

  Aife shrugged. "Don't ruin the fun by talking."

  Cú Chulainn pivoted his hips, tossing Aife back onto the bed. "I'm serious, Aife. I want more out of life than this..."

  "You're a warrior, as am I. This is the most we will ever get out of life. Why not enjoy it?"

  "I'm not saying I don't like it..."

  "Obviously you do," Aife said, smirking, as she glanced down between Cú Chulainn's legs.

  "I'm just so angry. Like when we're together I forget about it for a few minutes."

  "You don't last a few minutes... more like seconds."

  Cú Chulainn sighed. "You know what I mean."

  Aife took a deep breath, rolled off of Cú Chulainn, and began dressing.

  "Where are you going?" Cú Chulainn asked, still lying there in all his glory.

  "Where are we going, don't you mean?"

  Cú Chulainn scrunched his brow. "I don't know where we could possibly go."

  "It's clear to me you won't be any fun at all until you take care of what angers you so deeply, lover. And I'm tired of hearing about it."

  "Take care of it? How are we going to do that?"

  Aife smirked. "You and me, together. In our... better form. What do you say we go and get your revenge on this Forgall fellow."

  Cú Chulainn shook his head as he rose from the bed and draped a cloth around his waist. "It isn't your battle, Aife."

  Aife scratched her head. Took three steps toward Cú Chulainn and grabbed his hand, placing it on her womb. "For our child's sake, it is my battle."

  Cú Chulainn cocked his head sideways. "Are... you serious? You're with child?"

  "We are with child, you donkey's arse. An
d I'm not about to bring our child into this world while leaving him the example of a father who lets his enemies get away with their betrayals."

  "His father? How do you know it's a boy?"

  Aife shrugged. "I'm always on top. That means boys, doesn't it?"

  Cú Chulainn scrunched his brow. "I don't think that matters."

  "Either way," Aife said. "Boy or girl, our child will be destined to be a warrior like each of his parents."

  "Our child will be cursed with the ríastrad unless the gods see fit to spare him or her from such a fate."

  Aife shook her head. "It is a gift, lover! Perhaps once you've put away your rage, once and for all, you'll be able to accept that."

  "It isn't rage that fuels your ríastrad?"

  Aife huffed. "Of course not. The ríastrad feeds off of whatever emotion you give to it. Mine feeds off of desire... and pleasure. The pleasure we experience together... and the pleasure of slaying a man in battle."

  "That explains a lot."

  "Not like you've had anything to complain about."

  "What about Scáthach? She won't allow this. If two of the warriors under her tutelage attack Ulster it will start a war!"

  "We don't need to attack Ulster. Just this Forgall fellow."

  "But he's a citizen of Ulster."

  "And from what I've been able to ascertain, he has a fortress of his own within the kingdom."

  Cú Chulainn bit his lip. "How did you know about that?"

  Aife shrugged. "You said you're worried about Scáthach? Well, this has been Scáthach's plan ever since she learned of you, and she learned of your betrothal. This is how she intends to make of you the warrior you came asking her to train you to become."

  "I don't know. I mean, if I kill Forgall... I couldn't do that to Emer."

  Aife shook her head. "She isn't going to be yours either way. Do nothing and she marries the king of Munster. But kill Forgall... and you can finally have your vengeance. At least you can be free."

  "Maybe," Cú Chulainn said. "But won't that just leave me with guilt?"

  Aife pushed Cú Chulainn back on the bed and straddled him. "Please... he has it coming. It was he who betrayed you. Only a man of weak fortitude would feel guilty over something like that."

  "I'm not weak."

  "Then prove it," Aife said before pressing her lips against his.

  18

  THAT HE SHOULD have a child with that woman... my divine blood boiled within me. But he still had no love for the woman, Aife. Thankfully, she had no such affection for him either. She was content with having a man who would satiate her passions. The mother she was becoming craved a man capable to defend her child, a warrior who'd raise their child to do the same.

  Which is precisely why we were thrilled that she was more than eager to take our suggestion... the help our beloved get his revenge. Yes, we'd untangle the web of women who'd come into his life. We had to free him from whatever part of him longed for any of them so that his heart would be ripe for us....

  I spread my wings and soared over Forgall's fortress. Once the two warriors transformed they'd be able to scale these walls. The problem was that our dear Cú Chulainn merely wanted to frighten the man. If that was all he accomplished we'd accomplish nothing.

  No, we had to unravel each of his failed attempts at love. Shattering his relationship with Aife would be both the easiest and the hardest of all. On the one hand, they were bound together only by passion and lust. There was little love between them. But Cú Chulainn was an honorable man... to abandon a wife who was set to bear him a child would require a massive betrayal, something he couldn't forget or forgive.

  We couldn't turn her against him. I might be a goddess, but I can't dictate what humans feel or do. All I could do was make suggestions. I could whisper in their ears, even make them think that my words were their own thoughts...

  I'd used this tactic before, though I'd only been a goddess a short while, to give certain warriors boldness and others cowardice. It was the principal way I affected the outcomes of battles. Sure, I could possess a warrior here or there, give them an extra dose of strength and power. But if I whispered in their ears I could embolden some and terrify others. There is something magical in humans—it's a power that lies in their thoughts. A simple thought could transform the fiercest warrior into but a mouse at the sight of something so innocuous as a shadow. All it required was a little fear. But a well-placed thought did the opposite, too. Even a common housewife could become a lionhearted hero if she entertained the proper thoughts if she developed a little courage.

  We three sisters chuckled to one another, albeit in the confines of our single body. We had immeasurable powers. We could do things we hadn't even discovered yet. But a little whisper in an unsuspecting ear and we could dictate the rise and fall of kingdoms.

  And it was so much easier when the heat of a battle hindered a person's ability to reflect on their thoughts. When blades are slicing through the fog of war and spears are flying through the air most warriors will act on the first thought that strikes the mind.

  What we had to do was clear. Let Aife and Cú Chulainn carry out their plans. The fact that they had different ideas for what they should accomplish by this little assault, Anand believed, gave us a strategic advantage. We just had to wait for an opportunity. There would invariably come a time when their interests would conflict. When they did, we'd speak. We'd give one or both of them a simple thought, an idea... and we'd be one step closer to making him ours.

  19

  CÚ CHULAINN AND Aife exchanged glances as they stood at the gates of Forgall's personal fortress. That's the thing about being a hero—should you survive the war you generally aren't wanting for much thereafter. One thing King Conchobar, and kings of Ulster before him, did well was that they honored the kingdom's retired warriors. A hero like Forgall probably wouldn't inspire bardic tales by his legend—such tales generally ended in a warrior's death. But the consolation prize was a full life lived in relative luxury.

  Storming Forgall's fortress would normally be a difficult task for two people. But this wasn't a castle. Its fortifications were built mostly for the sake of keeping roving bandits or wild animals away.

  Wild animals... Cú Chulainn chuckled at the irony. He was something of a wild animal. Aife was right—he needed to deal with his resentment—but was this really the way? His stomach turned in trepidation. This just felt wrong.

  A bird cawed from behind where he and Aife stood. Cú Chulainn turned, glad for some kind of distraction, and saw a raven perched upon a tree branch. Its beady eyes fixed on him. The raven made something of a croaking sound.

  "Ouch!" Cú Chulainn said as Aife jabbed him in the ribs with her knuckle.

  "Focus... don't forget. We're doing this for the sake of our son."

  Aife placed her hand on her womb—just a small bump at this stage, less than a lunar cycle since she'd first announced to him she was with child. Cú Chulainn took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright..."

  Aife nodded, grabbed Cú Chulainn by the tuft of his shirt, and pulled him in for a kiss. "More of this is waiting for you after this is over."

  Cú Chulainn nodded. "I was thinking... maybe we should just destroy the place. Don't kill the man. Let him live in poverty, knowing what he did. If we kill him, he'll only suffer a little while."

  Aife rolled her eyes. "But if we strike him down, in that single moment he'll feel all the pain he might otherwise feel in a lifetime of regret. Besides, if we allow him to live, a warrior like him, like any real warrior would, will be looking for his chance at revenge."

  Cú Chulainn bit his lip. What she said was a slight against him. She was implying that if he didn't go through with this he didn't have the heart of a real warrior. Of course, a warrior isn't what Cú Chulainn ever wanted to be. He didn't care.

  "Still, this is my chance at revenge, Aife. I'd prefer we leave him breathing. Perhaps injured, but he must survive."

  Aife rolled her eyes. "You reali
ze that leaving a man maimed but not dead is far more difficult than killing him outright?"

  "I'm not saying we have to maim him," Cú Chulainn said. "But if it comes to that... he did not kill me. He deceived me. An injury to the flesh to repay the injury he waged to my heart. But to kill him would not be just."

  "We aren't here for justice, lover..."

  "Speak for yourself."

  Aife huffed. "So long as we achieve an end today that will allow our son to become the warrior his father has yet to become, I will be content with the outcome."

  "Then it's decided. I do not intend to kill him."

  Aife nodded. "I understand."

  Cú Chulainn nodded as he looked at Aife again, her red hair blowing in the breeze. "You know, you really are beautiful."

  "I know," Aife said, smirking. "You're a lucky bastard to share your bed with me."

  Cú Chulainn laughed. He wasn't in love with Aife—but he did appreciate her companionship, and he appreciated her body... and the ways she moved her body... She might not have been the object of his heart's desire, but it was undeniable that she'd effectively dominated the attention of every other part of his flesh. He'd never known someone so comfortable in her flesh, so seductively confident in who she was and what she wanted. A part of him envied her. What she wanted, one way or another, she always got. She wasn't so subject to the winds of destiny that, at least in Cú Chulainn's case, seemed to carry him along like a fallen leaf blowing in the breeze. He had resisted his destiny at nearly every turn and at every turn, it overpowered his desires. But Aife... she was the mistress of the wind itself.

  Cú Chulainn reached and took Aife by the hand. "Alright, I'm ready."

  Aife squeezed his hand back and smiled. Aife derived a sort of carnal pleasure from transforming. The ríastrad was not for her like it was for Cú Chulainn, a curse. She never felt more herself than when she unleashed the ríastrad. Another thing Cú Chulainn envied of his lover. He wished he could embrace what he was in such a way... to embrace the power, the horror of what he was capable of under the ríastrad. Life would be easier if he not only accepted it but looked forward to becoming the wolf...