by T L Harty
“Am I wrong or does it seem like you’re rushing things?” I wondered.
“New information has come to light, and we may need to act quickly,” Clio said, cryptically. “So,” she continued, “for the next couple of days, I’d like you to ask whatever questions you need answered. Anything you want to know. If I can answer it, I will.”
“Why didn’t you warn my Grammy that her death was looming?” I interrogated. There was no need to treat Clio with kid gloves. Of all the women on the council, she could handle anything.
There was a small table with two chairs over near one of the windows. Clio went to sit down, motioning to the chair next to her. She asked me to try and pull up a vision to find the answer myself.
“Just explain it to me,” I demanded.
“I am human,” Clio said. “Unfortunately, that means I may forget a word or two and this information is very important to you. If you could see what happened instead of merely hearing about it, the vision will give you peace.”
After taking a big breath, I closed my eyes and concentrated on Grammy visiting Clio here at the castle. At first, only kaleidoscope-like pieces formed. Slowly, the scene took shape and voices could be heard, once the view was fully formed.
My Grammy and Clio were talking and it was hard to pay attention to the dialog because all I wanted to do was watch my grandmother’s face or hear her voice. Clio nonchalantly rubbed her arm in the vision. That’s how she knew Grammy would die soon…Clio got goosebumps in her vicinity.
After the meeting with my Grammy was over, Clio rushed to talk to Bridget, asking her if Grammy could be saved. Bridget grabbed some of her plant clippings and smashed them in a mortar. She added water to the mixture and drank it. Bridget told Clio that whatever fate was about to befall Muriel, it was not an illness. They would have healed her otherwise.
“Why couldn’t you tell her she was in danger if you knew it wasn’t a health issue?” I asked Clio, coming out of my vision.
“If it wasn’t a health issue, it could have been anything,” Clio explained. “Do you think your grandmother would have reacted well if we told her that she was in grave danger, but we weren’t sure what that meant? There was only one person who could have known what was going to happen, and we didn’t know where she was.”
It was as if Clio had punched me in the stomach with that last remark, robbing me of breath. She didn’t say it directly, but I knew she was speaking about me. The tears came quickly, trailing down my cheeks. There was no further interest in being awake, so I left the ballroom without exchanging a goodnight salutation. Once in bed, there was no movement. Bones and muscle were of no use. They had all melted into a puddle that was unwilling or unable to move.
___________
The next day brought a surprisingly normal mood. Perhaps the long string of uninterrupted sleep was a contributor to lifting me out of the abyss of what-ifs.
Before lunch, Clio took me aside to chat. “How are you feeling today?’ She asked.
“I’m fine,” I replied.
She looked at me in disbelief, grabbing my arm, while taking me into the kitchen. I jerked my arm back into my own possession.
“What happened to you last night?” Clio wondered. “You just left without a word.”
“I did what you wanted,” I answered. “My vision showed the meeting with my grandmother, your goosebumps, and the talk you had with Bridget. You did all you could. There’s no reason to be mad at you.”
“Your vision shouldn’t be able to reach into the meeting between Bridget and myself,” Clio pointed out. “Something’s not right.” I thought Clio didn’t get concerned, but the look on her face proved otherwise. “Let’s go eat some lunch,” she said.
While we were at lunch, there were still loose ends to tie up, so I began asking Clio more questions.
“If Grammy is gone, will there be any more information from the record keeper?” I asked.
“Only your grandmother knew how to contact him,” she replied. “Besides, the Book of Deidra is not a reliable resource. Some of the information is accurate, but there are a lot of omissions, half-truths, and flat out lies.”
After reading the tome, I knew that to be true. “It’s interesting that the book still exists,” I mentioned.
“How about after we eat, we all go on a field trip to the basement?” Clio suggested.
The castle’s basement was absolutely beautiful. It consisted of one huge rectangular shape, which served as the foundation for the rest of the structure. Deidra was excited to show me how long it was.
“Watch, Mom,” Deidra said, “I’m going to run all the way down to the other side of this hallway. You’ll barely be able to see me!”
She started off, running to the other side. Clio, Bruce and I laughed at her enthusiasm. When she got to the end of the hall, she turned around and waved. Bruce quickly held, then released my hand. He could only get away with that because Clio was in front of us, leading this tour.
Even though we were walking in what was considered to be a basement, light streamed in from the outside. Above our heads was a slanted window that ran the whole length of the hallway. There were dozens of doors on both the left and right side of the hall.
Clio opened one of the doors on the right with a key. It was almost midway down the hall. We went into a beautiful room. There was an outside patio attached to the room that would be enjoyable after the snow melted. Looking out the glass doors to the patio, the green house could be seen jutting out onto the property over to the right. When I looked out the doors to my left, there was another outbuilding that I didn’t recognize.
“This is where I stay when I’m at Danu,” Clio explained. “It’s my home away from home.” There are over a dozen such rooms on this side of the building, just like this one.
Deidra ran in the room out of breath. “Could you see me down the hall?” she asked. “It’s a really long way to the other end.”
I was still standing by the patio doors. “I could see you, but just barely,” I joked. “What’s that building over there?”
Deidra came to the window. “That’s the pool,” she informed. “We never did go swimming together, and I forgot all about showing it to you.”
“What about the other side of the hall?” I asked, directing my question to Clio. “Are those fancy rooms like this?”
“No,” she answered. “There’s no natural light available on that side of the hall, so those are the castle’s mechanical rooms or storage closets. We’re down here to see something in one of those rooms, so we should get on with it.”
Once we reached the middle of the hallway, there was an open area with no rooms on either side. There was a very small open area on the left side of the hallway compared with the right. The rooms must take up the bulk of the space on the bottom floor. There were sliding glass doors that could open to the outside, just like in the personal rooms. The atmosphere of the castle must feel very different in the warmer months. Because we were closer to the pool, the patio was visible. I imagined lounge chairs, tables with bright umbrellas and cool lemonade being served.
None of these sights were very impressive to my three companions, as this was old hat for them. We continued down the hall, passing two more doorways on the left. When we arrived at the third door, both Clio and Bruce were fumbling with keys. The door had two locks, and apparently neither of them had both keys. It must have been an extra security measure.
When we entered the room, Clio turned on the lights. The walls had lighting all around, but it wasn’t very bright.
“You may notice that this room is cold,” Clio said. “The temperature and indirect lighting all serve as protection.”
A small table of some sort was in the middle of the room. It may have measured twenty inches squared. The table cloth was made of felt, reaching all the way to the ground. I wasn’t experiencing the same excitement level as Clio. She was grinning, while directing me to the table.
“I don’t understand,”
I confessed. “Is this a special table to eat meals at or something?”
Clio walked over to pull off the cloth. It wasn’t a table at all, but a protective case that housed a book, looking much like the one I saw at Trinity College. The same elaborate artwork adorned the pages. Deidra and I walked around the case. Clio and Bruce had probably seen this numerous times and knew exactly what they were viewing.
The book drew us in. We stared at it for a while until it seemed to speak to me in a haunting voice. The voice lied to me, telling me something that couldn’t be true.
“This can’t be the book of Kildare,” I mused, out loud, still looking at the case. “That book was lost and never recovered. They believe that Vikings or other marauders stole the bejeweled cover for its value and burned the book. Yet, it speaks to me and reveals itself as the Book of Kildare.”
Clio quickly used the cloth to re-cover the case. The same worried look was on her face, but now it had spread to Bruce’s and Deidra’s as well.
“Deidra,” Clio started. “Did you know what this was or did it speak to you as it did your mother?”
Deidra slowly shook her head back and forth, unsettled by the events taking place.
Clio hurried everyone out of the room, turning off the lights behind her. Bruce and Clio dutifully locked the door. “You should all go enjoy the rest of your day,” she said. “I’m going to get the council here as soon as possible. We’ll have our first complete council meeting tomorrow at 1p.m., right after lunch. I expect you to be there on time, Muriel. I need to meet with the council beforehand for a few minutes.” When she was done speaking, Clio practically ran up the hallway.
“What’s up with her?” I wondered. “I’m going to go peek in the pool area. It’s hard to believe I’ve been here for all these weeks and never checked it out.”
“It’s really nice, mom,” Deidra said. “Maybe Bruce can show it to you. I’ve got a two o’clock with Tracy. She should be here any minute.”
Once Deidra left us, Bruce unlocked the pool area for me. He flipped a switch after we were inside, and several fans started humming around the building. They alleviated the smell of chlorine within a couple of minutes.
I unlaced my tennis shoes, flipping them off and removing my socks. The pool’s shallow end had a few stairs that led into the water, so I stepped one foot on the first stair. It was a little shocking how cool the water felt.
“I expected the water to be warmer,” I said.
Bruce shook his head. “Bridget insists we keep the water cool,” he explained. “She claims it’s supposed to be healthier for us. You get used to in eventually.”
“Let’s hope so,” I said, while removing my clothing.
“What are you doing?” Bruce asked.
“Well, I didn’t bring a swimsuit with me,” I explained. “So I’m improvising.” I dove in the water and it certainly was refreshing. “You could just stand there watching,” I told Bruce. “Or, you could lock the door and join me.”
He shook his head, smiling, while kicking off his shoes. “You know, I’m not sure what kind of trouble I’m getting into with you,” he said, while locking the door. Bruce headed towards the pool.
I squinted at him, watching him undress. “I think you have a pretty good idea,” I decided.
_____________
The meeting was going to start very soon. I decided to be on time, but just barely, arriving three minutes before one. Bruce was standing outside the room like he had when I was first brought here weeks ago. He winked at me, which made me smile. I took a seat on the couches near the room, wondering if my fate was to be an outsider- even on the council.
Macy opened the door, motioning for me to come in. “It’s good to see you again so soon,” she said.
“You too,” I returned the sentiment.
When I entered the room, everyone’s faces lit up to welcome me. We exchanged “hellos” and quickly got down to business.
“Before we start talking about why we all had to come together so quickly,” Macy announced. “Tell us what you thought about the training process.”
I made an expression that would be similar to getting splashed with cold water. “Everyone had different methods,” I mentioned, stating the obvious.
“Who’s did you enjoy the most?” Anne wondered.
“There were different qualities about all of you that challenged me,” I said. “But, if I had to pick my favorite trainer, it would be Macy.”
The room erupted in all manner of speech and trash talk. Money started changing hands. It occurred to me that they had placed bets on my answers.
“Unbelievable,” Tina said, “we had such a good time! Which was your least favorite trainer?”
“This isn’t personal,” I explained. “It has to do with the material covered, but that’s an easy one. It has to be Ann. I wasn’t very pleased with her information about Deidra’s suitors.”
Macy busted up laughing. “That sounds about right!” Macy squawked. “Pay up.”
“You shouldn’t be allowed to play,” I said to Macy. “Can’t you tell who’s going to win?”
“Not today,” Macy said. “Bridget has this special tea she makes for everyone to drink before a meeting like this...where we bet. It blocks their hue. But, it’s great because I can get in on the action.”
“For your final question,” Clio announced. “What training was the most beneficial and which was the least?”
I just wanted this questioning to be over, so I answered quickly and honestly, “Bridget’s was definitely the most beneficial. I didn’t get a lot from you, Clio, but I’m not sure if it’s over.”
The money exchanged hands, without much chuckling, as though Clio might be sensitive to my answer. She and I barely had any time together, so it would be foolish to expect any answer other than the one I gave.
“Meeting of the Toec council is now in session,” Macy said. “It stands as a complete council for the first time in over 512 years. No minutes will be taken. All conversations in this room are to be deemed runda.”
Everyone in the room smacked the table in unison, while repeating the word “runda.”
Macy apologized for not explaining the process. “Runda means secret in Irish,” she informed. “Smacking the table is just how we pledge our loyalty to the council.”
I slapped my hand on the table and said runda. They all smiled.
“Not bad for your first time,” Tina encouraged.
Bridget, who had barely said a word up until now, spoke up, “Let’s get to the business of why we’re all here.” She smiled after speaking, but there was no emotion behind her words or smile.
“Ah, yes,” Clio started. “We’re going to be planning our first task. The council will be finding the ones responsible for the death of Danu’s grandmother. They pose a huge threat to the future of this council if they have knowledge of her or Deidra’s existence.” Everyone seemed concerned at the thought.
“Here is a list of intel we need to procure before we start the full assignment,” Macy said, handing out a piece of paper.
Everyone received a handout except for me. I waited patiently until Macy began talking again. “Excuse me,” I interrupted. “I didn’t receive a list.”
Macy shot Clio and the rest of the council a look.
“You won’t be involved in the first assignment,” Ann said. “It’s too dangerous.”
“Listen, I know that I’m new,” I argued. “But, I’d like to be involved. They did kill my grandparents, after all.”
“You are the head of this council,” Clio said. “You will be the queen of this castle soon. It cannot be risked. Besides, you will need to help Deidra prepare for her suitors. They will be here in two short months.”
“If I’m truly the head of this council,” I declared, “then I’ll be as involved as I wish. No more arguments.”
Bridget was shaking her head. “Well, that settles it, then. She definitely can’t be a part of it with that attitude,” she d
ecided.
“You shouldn’t have the ability to envision conversations so deeply,” Clio said. “Yet, you were able to see past my discussion with your grandmother to a talk I had with Bridget. I never told you how my gift works, but you knew that goose bumps were the signal for death.”
Ann spoke up, “Yesterday, you woke up extremely calm and level-headed. However, the night before you left the ballroom in tears, without a word.”
“And today a book practically spoke to you,” Tina said. “I mean, you are gifted, but inanimate objects don’t speak.”
I looked at Macy, hoping she would somehow help me out. She could recap the way I so deftly handled Rick, giving the others confidence in my abilities, but she remained silent.
“Is there something wrong with me?” I feared.
“It’s not that,” Clio said. “Recently, you’ve been exhibiting extremely powerful abilities...more than we expected. And, quite frankly, above and beyond what you should have.”
“Isn’t that good?” I questioned.
“We’re just not sure that you have full control,” Macy responded.
Ann squinted, saying, “Also, if we allow you to be involved this time, your daughter may be in danger.”
“But wouldn’t Deidra be here with Bruce or Tracy?” I asked. “They could protect her. No one knows about this castle.”
Bridget shook her head and said, “Not that daughter.”
I shot her a confused look. Bridget locked eyes with mine, and then slowly nodded at my stomach, before looking back up at me.
“You’re not insinuating what I think you’re insinuating,” I stammered.
“I am,” Bridget said. “And nowhere in our history has a man in the line of Myrrdin sired a female child. We’re excited to see what that means.”
My breathing got heavier.
Everyone around the table was grinning, as I looked down at my stomach and back over the women in the room.
“We believe that your gifts have been ridiculously enhanced because of this pregnancy,” Macy stated. “But, they will also be unpredictable. It may be this way until you give birth. Apparently, she is quite the little Toec.”