Call of the Wylde

by Cynnara Tregarth

  “I need to know.”

  “No you fucking don’t, Col. Trust me on this. The information is on those pages. If you approach Morrigu, you’ll end up like Riana. Dammit, I wasn’t supposed to say anything.” Eileen paused for a soft moment. “Listen to me, Riana isn’t here because of her asking those questions. Gisele is taking care of her in Brittany right now. Do you understand?”

  Gisele was a member of both their grove and another sister nemeton. The fact that Riana went to Gisele belied just how bad Riana had been hurt. Gisele was head of the holly nemeton and a good friend of Riana’s. Dammit, this isn’t good. Why is Morrigu holding out on us? “I see. She lied about being in Belgium then. Can you get a message to Riana?”

  “Yes, she’s letting me call her once this week. It wasn’t a lie. Just after she got what she was looking for and approaching Morrigu, she had to put somewhere safe.”

  “Tell her we found a connection, we’re heading to Mexico as she’s asked, and when it’s all said and done, Morrigu will pay for harming her own.” Colette didn’t wait for a response, but hung up the phone. Unbidden tears pricked at her eyelids. Why do I serve her if she’s going to hurt those who serve her closest? Damn the goddess for doing this to those I love! A stray thought entered her mind. Picking up the phone, she dialed it quickly.

  “The number of the wireless customer you’re trying to reach can’t be found. Please leave a message in the voice mail. Press one when you are finished.”

  Colette related the basic information to the voice mail and finished with, “Please let me know you’re okay, O. Please.”

  Hanging up the phone, she went towards the bathroom. Perhaps a soak in the huge tub would make her feel better and relax her suddenly tense muscles.

  Chapter Eight

  >Owain listened to his voice mail, looking at Shane in askance. “Do I dare ask what I risk by doing this?”

  “I don’t know, Owain. I can only tell you what Finn goes through. Afterwards you’re tired, you ache, and occasionally you bear bruises.”

  “Great. Anything else I should be warned about?”

  “Not that I can think of. You should be asking this of Finn. He’s the one who knows the details intimately.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. Where we heading?”

  “Powerscourt.”

  “The gardens? Or in the house itself?” Owain knew Powerscourt’s history. There was a nearby waterfall, one he often considered in his meditations. The house was erected in the Middle Ages, and in fact was owned by the brothers in one company name or another.

  “The restaurant is closed by now as is the gardens. We’re headed for the waterfalls and the sacred clearing.”

  Owain sat back and waited for the rest of the drive to go by. Powerscourt Waterfall was the tallest waterfall in Ireland. Once they arrived and parked, both Shane and Owain made their way to the outside of the huge herbaceous borders and past the Dolphin Pond. “It’s still as beautiful as I remember it.”

  “Are the Powerscourt related to you or the O’Connors?” Shane asked. “Finn won’t speak on it much.”

  “He wouldn’t. There are personal reasons why. The Powerscourt were another family who knew part of our story because they also had shifters in their family. Thus, we had protection with them and we helped support their family home in exchange.”

  Owain used his flashlight, lighting up his footsteps. He could’ve shifted form to a wolf or a bat, but considering the energy he’d be expending in ritual, there was no way he was going to do that now. “Near Pepperpot Tower, right?”

  “Not quite that far out, but close. Nearer to the waterfall. Watch yourself here. Use that tree to help ease yourself up onto the ground step,” Shane remarked as he leapt up the hill.

  “Thanks, Shane. You’re just remarkable in this place with little to no light.”

  Shane turned and his eyes glowed in the dim illumination. “You forgot my little benefit from hanging around you all, I take it.”

  Owain stopped. “Yeah, I had forgotten, I’m sorry, Shane.”

  “No harm, no foul. Just keep the beast inside, stay under Finn’s protection until I can get better control, then train with Davyd. Shouldn’t be too bad. It’s hard that there’s no cure.”

  “One day there will be, Shane. I will work my hardest to find you one.” He meant it. Shane had been bit by a true lycanthrope and was a wolf once a month by lack of choice. The other times, Shane could choose to shift, but it wasn’t easy for him. Not like it was for the Marauders. A Taranis minion had attacked him, but he never bitched or complained on his lot in life. Maybe one day he’d forgive Finn and Donal for what happened.

  Owain couldn’t remember much about how it had happened, but the months afterwards were branded on his memory. Finn and Donal both felt hapless. Only when Owain was able to stabilize Shane’s uncontrollable shifting with an infusion of Maraigh blood were things able to get better.

  A voice called out to them. “Over here. To your right.”

  Finn. Good, now I can get some answers and why Col is so upset with this idea beyond that Riana was hurt in some way because of Morrigu, which I don’t understand. “Níl a fhios agam if I remember this path being so steep,” Owain called out.

  A chuckle came from behind him. Glancing behind him, he saw a tall blond walking behind him. “Donal, you’re here, too?”

  “Yeah, I’m the fulcrum point for you and Finn for this rún pléisiúr.”

  “I don’t know about secret pleasure, but definitely a pain in the arse.” Owain clasped forearms with Donal. “Good to see you, deárthaír.”

  “Can’t hang out afterwards, but I wanted to lend support. Finn sounded quite insistent.”

  “Indeed, I was. Come on you slowpokes. You’d think you were the oldest of the nine, not the younger ones.” Finn stood in front of them, looking much like Cerrunos or even Herne the Hunter. There was something disconcerting about having him look at you with those darker than dark eyes of his.

  Owain bristled slightly. “I’m not that young, brother.”

  “Young enough, Owain Maraigh and you know it.”

  They followed Finn into a clearing that was lit only by dimmed flashlights. “I don’t want to risk a fire out here if we can avoid it. It’s been a dry spell for the past two months.”

  “Understood.”

  The four men worked quietly, efficiently setting up the area for immram working. Though Finn and Owain would journey through the Celtic Otherworld briefly to find a place to speak with The Morrigan, the setting would allow them to move easier and quicker than if they just tried to meditate. By invoking their ancient ways, including the ingestion of certain herbs, they would be able to call open the Otherworld portal in this area, something difficult to do and maintain on their own.

  When Finn was ready, Owain sat beside him, accepting the cup that contained herbal ingredients to relax them both without getting them high or unable to endure what was to come. Feeling the warmth of the liquid flowing into his belly, Owain took six deep, centering breaths, mirroring Finn who was doing the same. Shane sat behind Finn while Donal took his place behind Owain.

  Finn held Owain’s right hand and began speaking in their native tongue. Owain felt slightly light headed but trusted Finn, an Ovate skilled in the ways of meditation, healing, and going between worlds better than anyone. “We take the journey to the Otherworld, a place removed only by the will of the gods and those who’ve gone before us. To the many islands we journey, stopping only when we find the place in which we may speak to the Goddess Morrigu.”

  Just as it had done many hundreds of years ago, the clearing seemed to glow with an otherworldly light. Both Finn and Owain stood and turned towards the glow emanating from the west. The glow opened up and became like a gateway between this world and another that few knew or remembered. Owain stepped forward, but Finn held him back.

  “Wait. She will come to us. Stepping in there fully would make it hard to come back out.”

  “But we
need to get in there.”

  “No, we need her to step out here where we have a slight advantage.”

  “You know more of this than I do. I bow to your wisdom,” Owain intoned lowly. Though he wasn’t as sure, Finn and Miach were the only two who had even semi-regular contact with Morrigu. Please, Morrigu, come and answer some of these questions I have.

  A woman stepped out, her violet eyes glowing, drawing their attention directly to her face. She was beautiful, her black hair and red lips emphasizing her unusual eyes. “I believe you asked for my presence. What do you Marauders want?”

  Finn bowed slightly. “Thank you for answering our petition, Morrigu. My brother, twin of Niam, wishes to ask you questions.”

  Owain nodded and knelt on one knee. “Please, Morrigu. I need help in finding out the reasons for vampires here within this world.”

  Her hair brushed her face as she shook her head. “There is nothing about vampires in which I need to discuss with you, Owain. Don’t you know enough with what you’ve become?”

  Owain gritted his teeth together. This wasn’t going how he planned, but he needed to know the truth. “I know that it wasn’t one god alone who created vampires, but a coalition of gods, including Sekhmet.”

  Morrigu’s hand shot out, slapping Owain across the face. “You know nothing, fallen druid! Nothing at all, do you understand me?”

  Their eyes met and in hers were a cost most terrible. Would he risk the punishment? “I know more than you wish I did, Morrigu. I know the story from Sekhmet’s high priestess and fellow vampire. I know the Chinese and Japanese vampire myths and how they came to be, I know about the baobhan sith, Morrigu. I know your love for spilt blood and the trail leads across the water to where the most bloodthirsty of the gods ever were. The answers I seek are in Mexico.”

  He felt her anger before she touched him. When she did, he hadn’t expected that she’d hit him in the chest with her dagger. “Listen to me, fallen, disgraced druid, you will cease this before something happens, do you understand me.”

  “No, I don’t. Tell me why I should stop? I am not trying to get rid of vampires, but to give those who were wrongly turned a chance to become human again. Is that wrong, oh goddess of war and death?” Owain panted, his body trembling in pain as his hands wrapped around her neck.

  Her boot connected with his genitals, causing him to let go of her. Gasping for breath, he stepped back and pulled out her dagger. After tossing it on the ground, Owain fell on both knees, holding his chest where the blood leaked out between his fingers. “Damn you, Morrigu, for this. Why can’t you stop being a high and mighty goddess and answer the damn questions, so I could stop if it was logical? Did you stab Colette’s best friend, too? Are you going to kill everyone who questions you on this? Or are you going to grow up, one day, Goddess?”

  The woman advanced on him, lifting him by the shoulders. Her breath was steamy hot against his clammy skin. “You are being obnoxious, Owain Maraigh. You are meddling in something you know nothing about. How dare you judge me when you don’t know what I live with or what I deal with daily?”

  Another hand reached up and touched hers. “Morrigu, listen to him. Don’t you hear? He’s asking you to explain. To stop being the remote goddess that you’ve become and to give him knowledge so he can get your side of the story. Help us to understand why you insist on him giving up his years of research.”

  “What right—“

  “You changed him, knowing his nature. You owe him that much, you owe because how many of your people were wrongfully killed and more because of the nature of some vampires who were wrongly made.” Finn spoke with a low, firm tone. “Mighty Morrigu, he’s not calling your actions into question, but trying to find a way to counter the wrongs done by vampires who aren’t loyal, who aren’t like us, who revel in killing. To give normal life to those who weren’t given a choice in becoming a vampire, which is a choice denied many who are unsuited to nosferu life.”

  Owain dropped to the ground, gasping in pain. “He’s right, Morrigu. That’s all I meant. I need to know how the process was started, the area of change, so I can help others. Not myself, I enjoy being a vampire too much to ever be completely mortal again, plus mine is a cursing. But there are others, innocents who never asked for the change, who fight against evil in their own way and never deserved to be changed thusly.”

  “Are your words and his true?” Morrigu asked, her fingers flexing in warning.

  “Yes! I tell you, Morrigu, I’d never have asked for an audience on sacred ground if it wasn’t with honorable intentions!” Owain grunted while he pressed harder against his wound.

  The goddess knelt beside him, her hands covering over his. “Move your hands, Owain Maraigh. Let me fix my error,” she whispered. Their gazes locked as his hands moved away. “I did quite a number on you. Amazing that you allowed it.”

  Owain chuckled weakly. “I don’t think it was a matter of allowing it, it was a completely unexpected move on your behalf. Plus, you’re damn quicker than I am.”

  Morrigu grinned. “That’s what happens when you’re the goddess of war. You learn how to move fast, my fallen droi. Now let me concentrate a moment.” Her eyes closed, her breathing became slow and even. Warmth seemed to fill her hands and a concentrated red glow emitted from them. After a few moments, her eyes snapped open. “There, healed, but you’ll always carry the scar.”

  Owain looked down where she touched. The wound wasn’t bleeding but was closed and newly healed. Carefully, he took a deep breath and only winced slightly. “Thank you, Morrigu. You had punctured my lung.”

  “Only the fact you serve me as you do kept you alive.” Her voice was neutral sounding now. Neither hate nor any emotion filled her lilting voice. “Sit down my droi and let’s speak of your questions for a brief time.”

  Owain plopped on the ground and Finn sat beside him. Morrigu sat in front of them, her sword sitting across her lap. At that moment, Owain realized how lucky he had been. He hadn’t realized she

  was wearing her sword. Yeah, dog meat I’d have been had she run me through with that. There wouldn’t have been a second chance. Ugh.

  “There was a time when vampires were less known in the world. Hell, each of us in the various pantheons had vampires created for various purposes and only used when necessary. Yet there was a problem none of us had foreseen. Well, none of us except those who resided in Mesoamerica.”

  Finn spoke. “The Aztec gods?”

  “Yes as well as the Mayan gods. Though vampire legends can be found anywhere in the world, there are two main areas regarding their origins. Eastern Europe and the blood shedding in Mesoamerica.”

  Owain nodded. “That matches what I’ve discovered. Some of the African and Caribbean myths are quite detailed and different from most others.”

  “Yes, they were some of the last to come aboard the coalition.”

  “Coalition?” Finn interrupted. “You mean that you all came together on things?”

  Morrigu sighed. “Yes, we did. The hows and whys are long lost, but what was important was that vampires lived, some good, some bad, but by the wildness in their creations, there were many aspects that could cause problems for mankind.”

  “Like the way vampires were made,” Owain whispered.

  “Yes. So, a few of us gathered at a sacred place and amid a blood offering sealed into existence the three known types of vampires as well as specific laws governing their creation, destruction, and abilities.” Morrigu rocked on her heels a bit. “It was unlike anything the world has ever seen. Many of us gathered together from the Japanese gods, Kali from India, through Cizin and others.”

  “Who is Xilan then?” Owain asked softly. “He was mentioned in a few ancient manuscripts, but no one speaks about him except among the vampires.”

  Morrigu looked away, her sudden quietness unnerving to both druids. Finally, when she spoke, it was almost too quiet to be heard clearly, though in Owain’s brain, it thrummed like blood. “He is Lord
God of the Vampires. I cannot tell you more due to the blood oaths taken.”

  “Thank you, Morrigu. Is there a way of curing vampirism in those who were made without consent?”

  “I’m not sure, Owain. It’s never come up before the coalition. And in the end, all decisions go to Xilan.” Morrigu looked at the sky. “Please, if you value anything, including your possible freedom from the curse, don’t search any further. I’m telling you this because there are things mortals aren’t meant to know.”

  Finn placed a hand on Owain’s shoulder. “I know what you’re gonna say, deárthaír. Though I agree, we have to take into account that our Patroness knows more than we do on this issue.”

  “But what of those unjustifiably made, Morrigu? What can be done to help them?” Owain begged. “I just want to be able to offer them a chance. That’s all and to understand their vampire natures, if they choose to remain that way.”

  The goddess wouldn’t look at either druid, her gaze out towards the west. “I am only one member of the coalition and again, the only one who supercedes us is Lord Xilan, Owain. I wish I could help.”

  “Perhaps he’ll help me.”

  “Don’t be sure about that, Owain. He’s jealous of his creatures.”

  “Vampires are not creatures!” Owain growled. “I know you mean well by this. I thank you, Morrigu, but I can’t leave people with no option to becoming a vampire without their consent.”

  “Then take care that you don’t lose what you love most, Owain. Because that could be the price for your wanting to help others.”

  Owain hesitated. “My brothers can care for themselves.”

  Purple met dark brown. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

  “It’s not a done deal as you know.”

  “No, it’s not. But make sure it doesn’t become an impossibility.”

  Morrigu stood up, the men rising with her movement. When she looked at them and raised her hands, both men bowed. She laid hands upon them both. “May this night give you insight into your hearts, your souls, and the future beyond. Seek to the land in the west upon the temple of sacrifice.” Then she turned and walked through the portal. “Bendithion, droi. May the answers given help you in some manner. Die well if need be.”