The name of their most gruesome device of torture shot the attention of the Druids directly on me.
"Please," I begged. "He's coming for my father and my brother! They'll be killed!"
The tallest of the Druids stepped forward and pulled his hood back, away from his face.
"What do you know of the wicker man?" His pinched eyes and gnarled face proved he'd been hardened by the cruelty of medieval life.
"I saw him. Coming toward the clearing," I cried. "He's coming for them! Please! Come with me to save my father!"
Calling him 'my father' turned my stomach and the words stuck in my throat like sour bile, but I knew it was the only way to get their attention. To make them think I held any loyalty to the man.
The tall one turned to the others. "Leave them here." He pointed to my friends. "We'll come back for them."
The Druids grouped together and pushed me out of the sphere of whirling light. In a final glance back at my friends, I caught the wide eyes of Ryan and Maeve, empowering me further in my mission, while Paul's expression held only pure bewilderment.
We moved through the twisting tunnels of the maze in silence. Each of us now knew the way without hesitation or second guessing, and in a short span of time we exited the mouth of the labyrinth. We gathered in the space of the hidden chamber and them moved to the shifted stone slab to exit.
Pressing through one by one, we stepped into the catacomb around the altar. The tallest Druid was the last to exit the chamber and he slid the stone slab until it sealed shut with a harrowing thud.
My friends were trapped in there.
I prayed they would wait for me.
And I prayed I wouldn't fail them.
If I could get the Druids into the clearing just as the wicker man arrived, then there was a chance they would be destroyed by him, or at least distracted long enough for me to save my friends and stop the final prophecy from unfolding.
The irony wasn't lost on me. My hope was that the evil device of torture they had created, the wicker man, would now turn on them and cause their demise.
At least one of them had to be responsible for summoning him, anyway. Only, their plan was for the wicker man to take us into his fiery clutches. To have us burn for all eternity.
But now, the tables were turning. I would use their own twisted mysticism against them.
In a uniform line of procession, we filed through the tunnel in silence, past the guardians, and up along the steps toward the clearing high above. Tension emanated from the Druids’ brown cloaks as fear simmered within them.
Fear of the wicker man.
The first few Druids moved out of the hole, then me, followed by the last of them. The tallest Druid flew into the clearing ahead of us and ran to the edge of the boulders.
It wasn't even necessary for him to see over the edge. The harrowing sound of the wicker man filled the misty space all around us, proving he was only steps away.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as a rumble of evil laughter filled the clearing. The wicker man had been summoned and came searching for his sacrificial penitent offerings.
The leader and Murt huddled in each other's arms at the far side of the clearing, panting from exhaustion. The fear in their eyes radiated their understanding of their fate throughout the space around us.
"Isobel!" the leader called to me. "Run!"
His words of protection bowled me over.
"You can escape!" he yelled to me again. "Don't let him see you and he won't know you exist." His voice cracked.
The leader stood and pulled Murt up with him.
I stared at him in frozen shock. Something within him had shifted, completely. He stood with Murt by his side and my mind spun in confusion.
"I accept my fate, Isobel." He stepped further into the clearing, closer to me, while exposing himself more to the danger. "I have wasted my life on an obsession that consumed me. It turned me against my own children." He looked at Murt with the gaze of a proud father upon his son, then looked back at me. "Seeing you. Here. Grown into a strong, beautiful warrior princess. My life is finally complete. You helped me see it. It just took a moment for me to accept the truth you showed me."
His head turned to the crackling sound of branches bending and breaking as the wicker man came into view. His eyes widened in terror.
"Run, Isobel!" he screamed.
I stepped back, tripping over my utility belt, and I grabbed it from the ground and secured it around my waist. I hurried toward the chasm in the boulders as my head shook in disbelief at the turn of events. In the same moment, my heart broke for my family.
My original family.
My brother. My father. And the painful, fiery fate they would now endure. Together.
"Destroy him, father!" I screamed. "You must destroy your own creation to save yourself!"
Murt looked at Athair with wide eyes and the leader stared back at him.
I stepped closer to the hole as the horror of the wicker man came into full view.
The wicked Druids cowered within the clearing, whimpering at the unexpected turn of events as the wicker man locked his gaze on them and they became the hunted.
The branches that reached from the top of the giant’s head flared into bright flames and his eyes narrowed at the men huddled together. He threw his arms wide as the long twigs reaching from his hands shot flames in every direction.
I wiggled my legs into the opening of the passageway to the tomb but I couldn't pull my eyes from the dreaded scene in the clearing.
Then my eyes met my father's again.
His fear had subsided as he accepted his fate. Now, he only wanted to see me.
As I gazed back into his eyes, I felt his regret. His suffering for all he had sacrificed. All he had lost.
And he knew this now. His soul had been purged.
"Don't give up! Destroy him!" I cried. "Destroy him now. I will finish the wrongful deed you have put into motion. I will end it, father."
He paused. Then he nodded in agreement.
"Yes," he said. "Finish it, Isobel. It’s what you were meant to do."
My eyes filled with tears as I gazed upon him for the last time.
He locked arms with Murt and the two of them stood valiantly against the wicker man.
In a final glance, the leader's eyes met mine and poured a father's love for his daughter into my soul.
The unexpected twist shot adrenaline through my veins. I'd thought I was setting up the deviant Druids to be destroyed by their own evil weapon, the wicker man, but instead, I'd empowered them to battle him. To destroy their own weapon of torture in order to save themselves.
And ultimately, I’d asked my father to stop his plan of ending the progression of time, making him realize that now was the only time we truly had.
My request was tall, asking him to stop his mighty curse that had transcended time for thousands of years.
But his heart had changed. He had agreed.
Tears ran down my face in torrents as I navigated through the darkness of the tomb. My father was the leader of the rogue Druid order. He would have the ability to end the wicker man. With the help of his clansmen, they would destroy him at the center of his essence and end his tyrannical reign on the mystical land of ancient Ireland. They would now have the foresight to restore balance and honor to the ways of the clans and the ways of the virtuous Druids.
My eyes widened.
It was done.
I was able to stop the advancement of the curse at its source. Without violence. Without death. Instead, I’d stopped it with my truth sight.
I’d been able to change my father’s mind.
And that was all it took. Once his heart had changed, his plans changed with it. Together, with Murt, they would make things right.
In honor of our family. The Moynaghans of Ballycroy.
In honor of the Druids of ancient Ireland.
Now, I only prayed it would have the right effect on the future. That it wasn�
�t too late.
I raced past the guardians and into the catacombs. Feeling along the wall, I found the seam to the hidden door and pushed against the massive stone slab. It slid open with little effort and I flew into the secret chamber.
Running through the maze of the ancient labyrinth, I called for my friends. Their names flew from my lips, growing louder and louder as I twisted through the dizzying trails. Then, like a distant breeze, I heard the faint sound of their voices calling back to me.
I ran faster and finally burst into the open space with the whirling orb. Without hesitation, I pressed through the iridescence and fell into the waiting arms of my...my family.
We embraced each other in a four-way hold that left no question of our unbreakable bond. We were forever tied together through this experience and everything else we had been through together.
"What happened?" Ryan pressed. “Are they following you?”
I lifted my eyes to his and watched his jaw drop in surprise at the story that passed from my mind to his.
I nodded in agreement. I would never have imagined the events that unfolded above in the clearing either.
But it was true. All of it.
Our voices erupted in a chorus of questions and concerns for what to do next. Panic laced the words that flew through the dome as the final moments settled upon us.
"So much time has passed," Paul said. "There's no way to know if the eclipse has begun or not." He paused. "Or even if it is complete, and there's no more light." Worry oozed from every syllable.
"We can't stop now," I said. "We just need to keep trying."
"If we pass through the portal," Ryan started, "and we're too late..."
"Then we could be trapped in the void," Maeve said. "For all of eternity." A jolting shudder ran through her.
Everyone fell silent and their panic filled the air.
My mind raced with the next part of my plan. I had kept this part of my idea hidden, far in the back of my mind, to be sure Ryan and Maeve couldn't see it.
It was risky. They might be inclined to try to stop me.
But it was the only way. I was sure of that.
I reached for the stun gun on my belt and snapped a new cartridge into it.
"What are you doing?" Ryan stepped closer.
"Move to the edge of the forcefield," I commanded them. "Now!"
My directive left no room for negotiation and they moved to the side. I stepped closer to the wobbling light of the portal and aimed my gun at its epicenter.
"Isobel, stop!" Paul shouted. "The electrical impulses will disrupt the electromagnetic field! It will shut it down!"
I took a step closer and removed the safety. My finger tightened on the trigger, preparing to squeeze.
"We'll be trapped here forever!" Ryan blasted. "Are you crazy?"
And I squeezed the trigger.
Chapter 20
An explosion of light and sound blasted us backward in a violent assault on our senses, as if a nuclear reaction had been released. Like a new sun born in the universe, the bright blast blinded us and the sound hit levels beyond our capability of hearing.
Our minds overloaded with sensations from the violent destruction of the gateway to the universe. The explosion held enough power to shut down the mystical portal that snaked through time itself. The wormholes collapsed in a screech of blazing death that nearly blew my mind to smithereens.
And then all fell silent.
The wobble of the portal was gone.
The iridescent orb of the forcefield vanished.
We stood in the center of the cold, dark labyrinth, shivering.
Head lamps snapped on, illuminating the pitch darkness of the stark gray walls that led through to various tunnels.
"What have you done?" Paul shouted in horror.
"I had to destroy it," I said. "In order to save them." My head fell as I thought of my brother and my father. "I left them above to face the wicker man. To destroy him. And in my commands to do so, I left a promise." I took a deep breath. "A promise to ensure their survival.”
I had to destroy the portal to save them from self-destruction.
Their access to time travel was what twisted them to evil to begin with. And with the portal destroyed, there will be no way we could be followed. Ever.
They’ll never be able to recreate such a curse now or gain access to knowledge of the future. That knowledge will be left for the truth seers only.
The thought of never seeing my birth family again pulled at my heart. I’d been left with a choice few others have ever had to make—which family, past or present.
And I chose my true family.
The family of my modern life.
Leaving Athair and Murt behind was a new pain I would have to live with, but in the same breath, knowing them now was what made me complete.
"But destroying the portal has now doomed us." Paul's eyes searched mine.
"No," I stated. "Destroying the portal means they have no more access to the future. No means for interfering with time. It had to be done." I looked at each of them with love in my heart. “But for us, there’s another way.”
I stepped to the opening of the maze that led back to the hidden chamber.
"Come with me," I said. "It's time to get out of here."
They followed me in confused silence, each of them processing the layers of the events that had unfolded.
My focus now was to get us home. To be sure the butterfly effect had made its way to the future, stopping the full eclipse from taking hold and sending darkness over all of existence.
My father counted on it.
He trusted in my ability to save myself and the future.
"Faster," I called to them as I raced through the maze.
Within moments, we gathered in the hidden chamber, panting.
"What's the plan, Isobel?" Ryan huffed. "Whatever it is, we do this together. No splitting up."
His words pulled us in closer. The insecurities of the shift in events dissipated as we stood together again as a team.
"Follow me," I said.
We pushed through the narrow opening in the wall and entered the catacombs. We gathered around the stone altar, and I placed my hands on it.
"I know how it works," I revealed. “I know how to use it.”
Paul's eyes jumped to mine. "You've deciphered the code?"
"Yes," I said. "We’ll get home using the original portal of the honorable Druids. The one built long before the labyrinth. The one that can be used with only good intention."
I thought of one day being able to see my father and brother again using this portal but then shook my head at the fleeting thought.
"Jesus," Ryan murmured. “Didn’t see that coming.”
Maeve nodded with a gentle smile and closed her eyes in relief.
"It just might work," I said. "I trust it more than that other portal." I motioned my head toward the hidden chamber. "That one was created by the rogue Druids. They stole the secrets of time travel from the virtuous clan and twisted it for their own personal gain." I shook my head. "This is the true portal. The real one."
"But how do we stop them from following us?" Ryan asked. "They’ll figure out their portal has been destroyed, and some of them may decide to take matters into their own hands. Did you see the evil glare on some of their faces? They'll turn to this one for its power."
"Only the truth seers can decode the instructions on this altar," I said. "It’s a language that can only be interpreted by those with the seeing eye. It’s why the rogue Druids had to make their own time portal in the first place."
"But there are sure to be others with that ability," Ryan added. "At various points through time."
Maeve lifted her gaze from the altar. "But the truth seers are honorable. Throughout history they are the revered ones who uphold the values of ancient Druidry." She looked at each of us, landing her gaze on me. "And they can be trusted."
I reached into my boot and pulled out my dagger. I
pressed the tip of it into the stonework on the side of the altar and dragged it along one of the carvings, creating an additional new marking. I scraped along the same spot until a deep groove was etched into the Celtic artwork.
"What are you doing?" Paul lifted his hand to stop me.
"I'm adding my mark," I said. "So all will know I was here."
He pulled his hand back and brought it to his mouth in a fist. His nervous response was as if I had defiled a most sacred archaeological find. But in his heart, I knew he accepted my vandalism as part of history.
"Now what?" Ryan asked.
"Link on to me and follow my every move," I instructed. "We'll travel around the altar as my fingers trail through the carvings, interpreting their instructions. Once enough energy is generated, the portal will be activated."
My words carried the confidence of someone who understood exactly how the power of the portal worked.
And I did.
They followed me as I trailed my way along the altar, around and around, generating a glow of light from the inner core of the holy table. My fingers danced through the carvings of ancient Celtic wisdom as if they were reading an advanced form of communication—a language unknown to historians in its intricate presentation and complex formulas. The glow grew brighter from the center of the shrine and we moved faster around its perimeter with excited energy.
In a sudden blast of light, we lifted off the ground in suspended weightlessness and shot into the whirling vortex of time.
The hum of the universe vibrated through my bones as we whisked through wormholes. My muscles remained comfortable and relaxed as a sense of peace travelled through me. It was a very different experience compared to traveling through the other portal. This one held tranquility and opened my mind to its bigger purpose.
The purpose of time itself.
It was a measure of progress and growth.
A measure of evolution.
Without it, nothing would exist.
With it, everything existed.
And time made it all valuable.
Tears fell from my eyes as I felt the enlightenment of the ages fill my friends’ minds as well. We were still connected by locked elbows, and our thoughts and knowledge travelled through that connection.
Truth Seer (Irish Mystic Legends Book 3) Page 16