Waves in the Wind

by Wade McMahan

  Chapter 35

  Where Evil Lurks

  My mind lay frozen within an icy mist. Perhaps it was the certainty of my death or sheer terror that closed off all my thoughts as I plummeted into the glowing abyss. There were no last memories to carry with me into the afterlife; no muttered prayers or even a scream escaped my lips. I merely fell like a mute, mindless stone.

  There was not even full awareness when her talons grasped me. Perhaps I knew her powerful, leathery wings pulled me back, away from the depths of the fiery chasm, though it seems more likely it wasn’t until I later assumed that was the way of it.

  Blood surged through my veins and air filled my lungs though my mind remained consumed by death. Her voice came from a great distance.

  “Ossian. Can you hear me? Ossian. You are alive and, for the moment, safe. Look at me and hear my words.”

  Clarity of thought returned, bit by bit. She towered above me as I lay prone near the pit’s rim. Wonder filled me, for she had arrived not as the Morrigan, but in the terrifying form I remembered from the abandoned cave of the Tuatha—Macha. My beloved came prepared to do battle.

  “Have you recovered your sanity enough to speak?” Her impatience was evident as she glanced towards the abyss.

  My husky reply revealed the state of my wits. “Hello.”

  “Hello? Hello, is it? Have you lost your mind?” Again she eyed the pit. “Stand and address me as a man should.

  “Do it quickly, now,” she urged as I hesitated, unsure of the sturdiness of my legs.

  My legs wobbled, and I swayed to my feet, eyes blinking as my mind fought to return to the land of living men.

  “Go. You mustn’t remain here. Take your man, there,” she pointed past me, “and leave this instant.”

  I glanced over my shoulder and discovered a wide-eyed Goban staring at us from behind a boulder.

  Her urgency confused me, and I tried to make sense of it. “But why hurry away? Erc is dead and Torcán—”

  “Sonneillon comes,” Macha hissed.

  She continued and I forced myself to concentrate on her words. “Even now, he scales the wall and will arrive any moment. Hurry. Go now, for you cannot stand against him.”

  At last my senses were returning. “No. I will not leave you here alone to face Erc’s demon.”

  “Oh, my Ossian, sometimes you can be so…” She gestured towards the surrounding slopes. “I will not face Sonneillon alone.”

  Drumbeats commenced and echoed through the valley as my gods joined us—dozens of colorfully robed figures appeared high above me, surrounding the valley along the brush-covered mountainsides. They seemed almost dreamlike, though imaginings are not made of such solid stuff.

  “Hurry. Save yourself,” she pleaded, but it was too late.

  A mighty hand appeared and grasped the edge of the pit, followed by a second. My eyes grew wide and I staggered backwards as a giant’s head rose above the rim of the abyss. Coiled ram’s horns framed a triangular face that gleamed like burnished copper.

  Sonneillon’s slanted eyes held on Macha as he heaved himself over the rim and stood nude before us. The monster was three times my height, and, like his face, his muscular frame gleamed like metal. Again I stepped back.

  “Go, Ossian, run,” Macha gasped. Her wings spread wide and she leaped skyward, swooping past the snarling demon’s head.

  Any energy I lost by falling into the pit instantly returned upon beholding the terrifying figure looming before me. Turning, I raced towards the rocks concealing Goban, slowing only long enough to retrieve Nuada’s Staff along the way.

  I nestled down beside my friend, and peered around the boulders, expecting to see what, I did not know.

  The drums slowed and a bass voice called from the mountain. “Sonneillon! We the Lordly Ones will not tolerate your presence here. We demand you return to the depths from which you came.”

  The demon chortled, and called back. “Lugh! You and your followers have grown old and weak. You no longer hold sway over this land. The Christian god and his son, the Risen One, have replaced you. See before you a new and even greater power. The Lords of the Underworld have determined that we shall rule here. I command you to stand aside!”

  “Very well then,” Lugh’s voice called back. “Here is my response to your command.”

  A lightning bolt streaked across the valley, striking the demon’s chest. He staggered backwards under its impact, but if Lugh’s lightning injured the giant in the least, I saw no sign of it.

  “Puny pagan deities cannot harm the mighty Sonneillon.” A fireball appeared in the demon’s hand. “Take this for your trouble,” and he hurled the flaming ball towards Lugh.

  The cadence of the drums intensified, and my gods chanted as one. Their unified voices washed over me.

  Fill ar ais le do ifreann…

  Fill ar ais le do ifreann…

  Fill ar ais le do ifreann…

  Sonneillon laughed. “You demand I return to the Underworld? Ha. Even your combined powers are useless against me. Begone with you! I shall remain here and do as I please.”

  Never had I expected to see anyone or anything resist the Lordly Ones’ singular will. Yet, it was obvious the demon remained altogether unaffected by them.

  My mind swirled. The gods were said to be immortal, but were they? So much had changed across the land, as if the world had turned upside down. Now, I feared for their safety as they confronted Sonneillon. Some force, some power must exist to destroy the monster or at the very least drive him back to his lair.

  “Ossian,” Goban whispered. “This is no place for us. Come on. Let’s try to find Torcán and get away from here.”

  I leaned upon the Staff and considered his urging. “Yes, by all means go. It is by far the wisest decision. As for myself, I cannot leave. My duty lies here. Druids are sworn to stand beside our gods to protect Eire.”

  “But, lad, ye can see for yourself the gods have no power over that thing. You’re a Druid, sure, but in the end, a man. Ye can’t hope to overcome that giant.”

  “Maybe, but don’t give me up for dead quite yet.”

  “Ach,” he sighed. “You’ll be the death of us both for sure. You’ll not be a’leavin’ the gods and I’ll not be a’leavin’ you.”

  A smile touched my lips as I squeezed his shoulder. “Promise me that, should I fall, you will try to find Torcán and escape.”

  He dropped his face, then peeked up at me from beneath a cocked eyebrow and nodded.

  I recognized his response for a ruse, so I pressed him. “Promise me you’ll go.”

  “All right, all right, I promise.” He pouted and gestured towards the demon. “Well, go on about getting yourself killed if you’re going to. Oh…and it’s been nice knowing you.”

  “Have faith my friend.” I grinned, and again squeezed his shoulder.

  Saying it wouldn’t make it so, and the test of my own faith was yet to come. Power rested in Nuada’s Staff held tight in my fist. It was with a mighty effort I swallowed my fear and strode forward to face Sonneillon.

  The demon watched me approach and chuckled. “I take it you would be the Druid the monk Erc told me about. So, you killed him and his cats, did you? Such a pity. Heretic Christians often prove useful tools. As for you, you are like an insect in my sight and waste my time.”

  Nuada’s Staff came alive in my hands. Lightning streaked from the pommel, raking the giant’s chest and ribs. Horrified, I watched the Staff’s energy deflecting from the demon’s copper-like skin.

  Hands on his hips, the giant snarled, “You would play games by tickling my ribs with your foolish toy? Very well, little man. Let us see how much you enjoy my game.”

  It was as though a wave of hot air struck me, bringing with it a sensation of utter hatred towards all men and all things. The Staff vibrated urgently in my hand and my mind calmed. Though it projected no damage on Sonneillon, at least Nuada’s Staff served as a shield to protect me from his powers.

  Behin
d me Goban shrieked, and I swung about to find him tensed, staring at me, hatred streaming from his eyes. The red glow within the valley illuminated his wild fury as, sword in hand, he rushed me and delivered a mighty blow.

  My own blade swung upwards and sparks flew in a crash of steel. The Staff quivered in my hand, holding Sonneillon’s hatred at bay, though I knew my friend was held victim by it. Little it mattered, for I barely avoided his next frenzied thrust towards my heart.

  “Goban,” I shouted over the throbbing of the drums. “It’s me, Ossian.”

  Arms wide, muscles tensed, he gasped, “Yes, I know ye Druid, and I will carve your black heart from your chest.”

  There was naught I could do to dissuade him, for Sonneillon’s power held him by his throat, as it would soon do all Eire if given rein to do so. If I hoped to defeat the demon, my battle must begin here, against my friend.

  Well I knew Goban’s guile with a blade, for had he not taught me to use one? I retained my staff in my left hand while wielding my sword in my right. Perhaps it was the Staff’s power that lent strength and finesse to my arm as I parried each thrust and slash.

  In time, his great strength waned and his sword point dropped. Needing no further invitation, my sword swung down—the force of my strike spinning his blade from his fist.

  Though Goban’s power be spent, not so his mindless hatred as he cursed me. Wasting not a moment, I stepped forward and clouted him on his chin with the pommel of my sword. My friend dropped like a stone and lay unmoving.

  Sonneillon’s laughter joined the drumbeats in the canyon. Arms crossed over his chest, he taunted me. “So Druid. Do you think because you can best men you can defeat me as well?”

  His enormous hand pointed to the hills surrounding us. “Not even your gods can do that. Look at them. See for yourself their contemptible efforts to overcome the great Lord Sonneillon.”

  The power of his presence struck me like a blow, and I took a step back as he hissed. “Join me, Druid. Erc spoke of you thinking to demean you in my sight, but in so doing revealed himself as weak and stupid. You, Ossian, possess strength, courage and wisdom. You are ambitious and will find me an eternal ally. Stand with me. Forget your powerless gods; crush your puny kings and the wretched masses beneath your heel. I offer you power and riches beyond your imaginings. Together we shall unite the Underworld’s forces and govern this land.”

  Foulness filled my mouth. Though the demon’s strength through hatred proved great, the deceit in his words was as transparent as spring water. He didn’t need me. For him, I was merely a toy, a brief source of amusement. .

  “Think of it, Druid,” he urged. “All you could ever need or desire can be yours. What is it you want? Take it!”

  Another lightning bolt streaked across the canyon, striking Sonneillon’s shoulder. He snarled and spun about, hurling a fireball though Lugh had already disappeared. The wildfire grew and crackled as smoke swirled along the mountainside.

  To continue standing in the open appeared foolish, for I held no chance against him. Common sense dictated that I retreat while his attention was diverted. The same cluster of boulders still offered a refuge of sorts, but I took no more than three hurried steps towards them when I tripped and fell on my face.

  Tink.

  The crucifix. Brendan’s forgotten gift fell from my pocket. I scooped it into my fist and darted towards the rocks.

  Goban still lay where he fell, so I grabbed his arm and towed him behind me until I huddled behind the boulders. My friend lay still, uttering not a sound. I peeked around a stone, fearing the demon followed me.

  His attention remained on the gods as a shower of golden arrows struck him, deflecting off his metal-like skin. Hands on hips, Sonneillon raised his face to the hills and laughed. Another wave of arrows arced towards him, causing no more effect than the first.

  The crucifix warmed in my hand and it brewed a thought. Sonneillon was born of Christian beliefs and it might lie with Jehovah to destroy him. In that moment, Brendan’s presence or even that of Brother Tobias would prove useful to call upon their god. As for speaking to him myself, I found the idea distasteful. No good had ever come of my encounters with him and his followers, and it seemed likely he would bear me no kindness.

  The drums continued their thrumming as Macha appeared from the darkness and swooped ’round the giant’s head while screeching her fury, her talons slashing at his eyes. Sonneillon shielded his face with his hands, swung a mighty fist towards her as she flew near and roared out his hatred when she soared skyward, barely avoiding his blow.

  Enough of this. If Jehovah could help, though I knew nothing of him and cared less, I would attempt to speak with him.

  “O Jehovah. I am Ossian, the Druid. Perhaps you know me as one who fought your followers many times, but now I call upon you to unite with the Lords of the Sidhe to defeat a common enemy. See Sonneillon, who would impose hatred across this land.” I held high the tiny crucifix clasped between my thumb and forefinger. “Though no right I claim to ask it of you, I humbly beg you to strike him down.”

  There was no response from Jehovah, but little I expected one. Sonneillon remained by the pit’s edge, laughing and hurling fireballs at my gods. If he gave me further thought, he showed no signs of it.

  Another lightning bolt struck the monster while more arrows showered down upon him. If the Lordly Ones refused to give up the fight, I would swallow my pride and continue to call upon the Christian god.

  “Look upon them, Jehovah. See the Lordly Ones. They battle a demon rooted in your mysteries, not theirs. You desire to rule Eire? If so, stand forth and prove yourself worthy by shielding it now, just as the Lordly Ones defended it for thousands of years.”

  It is ashamed he should be for standing aside while the Lordly Ones fight his battle for him. So I thought, as the drums pounded ever louder.

  Macha swooped in again, talons wide, screeching her battle fury, slashing at his face.

  Sonneillon’s great hand reached out and captured her leg, pulling her down towards his grinning face. My heart leaped into my throat as her wings thrashed the air in her attempt to escape his powerful grasp.

  Nuada’s Staff had already proven useless, but I grabbed it and stood erect. With the Staff in one hand, I raised high the crucifix in the other, thinking to rush forward to her aid.

  Before I took a step, lightning sizzled through the air, striking the demon’s hip, turning him. A second bolt struck his back, staggering him forward to the very brink of the abyss. Relief flooded me as Sonneillon released Macha, his arms flailing the air to avoid pitching forward into the glowing chasm.

  Enough! Enough! The gods risk all against this monster, and Jehovah must act! Their desperation led to my own, so I pleaded to the Christian god.

  “What must I do to gain your aid? You demand my belief in you? Is that the bargain you require? If so, you have this Druid’s promise to accept you. However, if you insist that I forsake my gods and worship you alone, I swear on the Staff of Nuada that I will never do, and will damn you with my last breath. I adore reason, not tyrants. Upon my honor, I will remain here and die beside the Lordly Ones before abandoning them.”

  Sonneillon snarled, his pointing finger sweeping the mountainsides. “You cannot harm me. Neither can you hold me here.”

  His derisive laugh blended with the pulsing of the drums. “Now, I shall leave this place and stride across the land where I will be joined by other Lords of the Underworld. We shall be invincible and I warn you to stand out of our way.”

  He must not be allowed to escape this place. My mind was frantic, devising and rejecting plans to hold him within the valley. Only one possible hope remained. The god of the Christians must act, so I offered my final plea.

  “Jehovah. If I know you within my Druid’s heart as the god of a great religion, will you not find room in yours to accept me for who I am? My faith is all I can offer, for, in the end, it is all I own. Will you stand with us? If you exist, I—”
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br />   The earth rumbled, and the ground pitched like waves at sea, tossing me from my feet. My fingers clawed the earth for a handhold, and exultation filled me at witnessing Jehovah’s power.

  The soil crumbled beneath Sonneillon’s feet, and, arms flailing, he stumbled backwards towards the pit. The demon swayed, roared and fell from view over the rim.

  I thought him gone, but his great hands re-appeared, clinging to the edge of the pit. The ground continued to roll beneath me, my attention holding to Sonneillon’s struggle to pull himself up from the fiery abyss.

  Lightning bolts sizzled through the air, once, twice, three times, blasting free the demon’s desperate grip. Fiendish hatred struck me like a great ocean wave as he fell away, screeching his fury.

  I continued lying flat, for it seemed Jehovah wasn’t done with Sonneillon. The grating of stone against stone resumed, and the circular rim of the glowing pit began closing in upon itself. The fiery glow dimmed, then disappeared as the edges of the evil chasm ground together and sealed.

  The thrumming of the drums died away. Wings fluttered overhead and the Lordly Ones’ laughter chorused around me.

  Lugh’s voice thundered within the valley. “So, Ossian. You called upon the Christian god for aid. Your Lords of the Sidhe find your decision well met and thank you for it. Our many blessings upon you, Wise One.”

  Relief flooded me. I worried how my gods would accept my agreement with Jehovah, for of course they knew of it. I muttered blessings in return. They stood together to hold Sonneillon at bay until Jehovah arrived to shake the ground, though it was Lugh’s lightning bolts that broke the demon’s grip and returned him to his underworld. Ah, it seemed a fitting ending.

  Only the crackling fires on the mountainside could be heard, for otherwise quiet filled the valley. My gods had departed—perhaps all save one.

  “Jehovah, your humble servant thanks you for siding us to overcome a great demon. Yes, the Lord of Hatred was defeated this night, though I fear he is not vanquished and will return again and again throughout all the ages to come.