She came barreling around the corner, her face filled with her smile. She was looking for me, wanting to be sure her family was whole and she was safe. I waited to reassure her safety and kiss her dark hair as she fell into my arms. Marc stepped into the doorframe, smiling. “It’s a glorious day out there and we saw every cat and dog in the neighborhood, but she couldn’t wait to get home to you.”
The idea hit me so hard I sat down on the floor. He’d had a child! He’d had a family! Donny always said he joined the military to keep the fight away from his family, his kids, even before he had kids. I saw Lovern’s family in my mind. In my dream, they were standing on the path above the hill fort looking down over his home. He was the man standing with Jahna, a child’s hand in his.
It all fell into place. He’d died for his family. We’d give our lives for our loved ones, our blood. Now I understood the phrase in my prayer. “We died for you; we live through you. Blood of our blood.” He gave up his life to Teutates, god of the family, the tribe. He was trying to keep his child from the Romans. I would die for Janel if I needed to. Of course! He died for his child.
“Marc. He had a child! Maybe the little girl I saw in my vision. He traded his life to the gods so she could live. I know she lived. I saw her with her husband and a baby. His blood continued.”
“What? I thought druids were chaste. Like priests.”
“So we think. But, what if…. And how many Popes have we had who had families before, and who knows how many children after becoming Popes? Maybe he was an exception.”
“Exception or not, I don’t think any of this will fit into your book. You can’t prove it, it’s all based on your dreams and ghost visits.”
“Oh, I know. But now I understand how he could stand still and give his life without a fight. He must have done it to protect his child,” I said.
“Well, I have to admit, I’d step in front of a speeding car to stop Janel from being hurt. I’d easily trade my life for hers. So, if that’s what happened, I can understand that. I’ll start dinner. Coming soon?”
“Yes. Please take Janel and give her some milk. I’ll come give her some bananas in a few minutes.”
A blank document came up on my screen, and I started typing.
Lovern’s Sacrifice – Approx. AD 80
Mons Graupius – AD 84
Many early Picts or Celts were defeated and died during this battle between the naked painted men and the Romans. Those still alive after the battle ran to the hills or back to their villages. They killed, sacrificed loved ones, families, and themselves so the Romans couldn’t enslave them.
I am sure some escaped. I believed Lovern’s child escaped, and I saw her on a hill, maybe one on Skye, through Jahna’s eyes, grown and holding a baby. I remembered the child’s toes. I recalled the note from my ancestor describing the toes of his dead son after the battle of Glen Coe. I slipped off my shoe and looked at my toes, the same as Janel’s toes. He had succeeded! His blood still flowed through our veins.
My heart skipped a beat as I realized how hard it must have been for Jahna to tell me her story. She led me to the hill to find her, and to the bog to find Lovern. I will never be able to share how I felt when Jahna entered my mind and gave me the pictures I needed to find her. I hope she knows how hard I will try to get her story told. In my deepest belief, I know Jahna and the man in the bog, the one I named Lovern, were partners, maybe husband and wife.
I promise, Jahna and Lovern, Janel will know your story, our family story, and I will never forget you.
Blood of our blood.
Do not forget us.
In the darkest of the nights, buried we lie.
We dream to have our voices heard again.
We beg you to find us, to bring us back.
Blood of our blood.
Do not forget us.
Our souls continue with the gods.
We died for you, we live through you.
Tell our story so we may live again.
Blood of our blood.
I haven’t told Marc, but every once in a while, especially just before falling asleep, I feel her again. She’s a young soul, a strong soul and I know she wants me to find her. I’ve decided I will go back to Skye. I’m being pulled there. I’ve told Marc I want to find more about the young man in the note that had been handed down in my family, but most of all I have to try to find Crisi. I think she’s the first MacRae on Skye. My blood. Donny’s blood. Janel’s blood. She’s waiting for me to find her there, somewhere.
“One life, one love,
but I shall remember thee
from one life to the next,
for the memory of the living
is the dwelling place
of the dead.”
Steve McDonald
SPECIAL THANKS…
Lyrics used by permission in The Fox
“I Will Return,” Steve McDonald, Sons of Somerled, www.etherean.comVariena,BMI
“Soldier’s Lament,” Steve McDonald, Sons of Somerled, www.etherean.comVariena,BMI
“Painted Men,” Steve McDonald, Stone of Destiny, www.etherean.comVariena,BMI
Thank you to The Life and Death of a Druid Prince - How the discovery of Lindow Man revealed the secrets of a lost civilization by Anne Ross and Don Robins.
For information about the author and more about the story of The Fox and my next book, Sea Hawk, go to http://www.radasky.com
The Fox Page 37