by P. C. Cast
I remembered ClanFintan’s words that had praised Epona’s Temple as a fortress, and Carolan explaining that, unlike the Muses, Epona was a warrior goddess. So the temple itself was ready for a fight—I just hoped we had enough warriors to man her.
Soon wounded centaurs and human warriors joined us. Their faces were set in grim lines and they followed orders without comment as ClanFintan stationed them around the length of the temple wall.
I heard him ask the sentry who had originally brought word of the Fomorians to us, “What is your name, warrior?”
“Patrick,” he answered.
“Does the temple have a storeroom supply of longbows and arrows?”
“Yes, my Lord.”
“Get them,” was ClanFintan’s sober response.
Carolan joined us briefly, checking on his patients.
ClanFintan pulled him aside to give him instructions. “Have Alanna gather all of the women within the temple. Tell them to bring one pack apiece—they should each be carrying a blanket, a bladder of wine and a weapon.” He paused. “Any weapon. A kitchen knife or a pair of scissors is better than nothing.”
“I will tell them.” Carolan hurried back down the stairs.
“ClanFintan!” Victoria’s voice snapped across the battlements. “There!”
We followed her pointing finger and saw that a line of creatures was approaching the temple wall. They came from all sides, like a tightening noose. I could hear their predatory hissing in the still evening air.
“Wait until the Huntress gives the word.” My husband’s voice was strong and sure. “Aim for their heads or necks. As most of you know, they are difficult to kill.”
The line drew closer.
I saw Victoria take aim with her crossbow. The Huntresses and the other warriors followed suit.
The line drew closer.
I could see the individual creatures. Their eyes shone with an unnatural reddish glow, and even in the low light their claws and teeth gleamed wetly.
“Now!” Victoria cried. There was a great whooshing of arrows, and the sickening sound of flesh being pierced by the deadly shafts. Many of the first line of creatures fell, but their comrades stepped over them and kept coming, oblivious to their death throes.
“Again!” Vic shouted. And the arrows thunked home.
On and on the arrows rained, but it didn’t stop the Fomorian mass. Too soon, they were at the foot of the slick temple walls.
“Spill the oil!” ClanFintan gave the order, and the cauldrons were dumped onto the creatures. Those nearest the wall screeched and writhed in agony as the boiling oil scalded flesh to the bone. The others hissed and paused, not sure they should continue climbing over the bodies of the dying.
“Drop the torches!” At ClanFintan’s order, warriors dropped lighted torches down onto the oil-soaked creatures, who instantly became flaming effigies of pain, blundering blindly into their living comrades, causing them, too, to catch afire. The flames spread down the temple grounds, and soon the creatures were running frantically, clawing over the top of each other to get away from the temple walls.
I looked away, unable to watch their agony.
A victorious shout went up from the warriors of the temple and their centaur allies.
“More oil.” ClanFintan took no time for celebration. “Re-arm your supple of arrows. They will be back.”
The scent of roasting flesh wafted up from the still-flaming creatures, and I pressed my hand over my mouth and hurried down the battlement stairs. I ran, following the wall a few steps, then folded at the waist and puked what little my stomach held all over the inside of the temple wall.
When I was finished, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and stepped shakily away from the mess. My insides felt as if they had been knotted together with wire, and my mouth tasted terrible.
All kidding aside, I seriously hate puking. Really.
I had come to the realization that English teachers weren’t made for all-out warfare. Gang wannabes yelling obscenities at each other—yes. Girl fights outside the lockers of ex-friends started by the words “You stole my boyfriend, you ho!”—yes. Semi-innocent ninth-graders who mix clear laxative into your water bottle while you’re in the hall explaining to another ninth grader why throwing balls of chewed gum up on the ceiling is going to cost him time in detention—yes.
But real war—no. I wasn’t made for it. I wasn’t prepared for it. I couldn’t handle it. I couldn’t lead people out of it. I—
You have the strength, Beloved. I tried to catch my breath and let the comfort of my Goddess’s words wash over me, but I still felt inadequate. And I had puke breath.
“Rhea?” ClanFintan stepped out of the shadows. “Where did you go?”
“I was puking.” I sounded like a little girl, and I didn’t care.
“Come here, love.” He put his arms around me and I rested against his warmth.
“Just don’t kiss me—I’m sure I taste like puke.”
A laugh vibrated his chest. “Perhaps we can find some wine to wash the taste from your mouth.” He kissed me on the top of the head, and his arm enfolded me. We began walking across the courtyard.
“Female!” The hiss surrounded us. “Where are you, female?”
The sound was carrying over the wall of the temple; it was as if the words were looking for me. I stepped out of ClanFintan’s arm and sprinted up the stairs to take my place on the battlement. Nuada was pacing back and forth at the edge of the mound of smoldering corpses. His wings were fully erect. His colorless hair flew wildly around him, and his naked body was fully visible in the oily glow of the fire.
At the sight of him, the sickness in my stomach left me, and I was filled with a goddess’s vengeful anger.
“What do you want, you pathetic creature?” I spoke the words softly, but somehow Epona magically picked them up, lifted and magnified them so that they carried easily across the temple grounds.
“You, female. I want you.”
“Too damn bad. You will never have me.” I knew what I said was true. No matter what happened, I felt my Goddess’s promise that Nuada would never possess me.
“I will!” he shrieked. I noticed his normally pale face was flushed and covered with a film of sweat. “I will have you—soon! The rest of my army joins me on the morrow.” Taunting laughter followed his words. “I let them amuse themselves with the women from the other temple, but that amusement did not last long. I have higher expectations for you!” He cackled more taunting laughter at me. “Tonight make peace with your weakling Goddess, and say goodbye to that mutation you call a mate. Tomorrow you belong to me!”
I felt ClanFintan gesture to Victoria, and she tossed him her crossbow. With a motion that blurred with speed, my husband sighted the bow. The twang of the shot was followed by a shriek from Nuada as the arrow sliced the side of his head, severing his ear from his body.
Nuada’s hand tried to stem the flow of blood as he whirled around and disappeared into the fading light.
“That guy needs some serious therapy,” I muttered.
“Sleep in shifts.” ClanFintan’s voice was flat and cold as he spoke to the warriors on the battlement. “Victoria, Dougal, Patrick, find Carolan and Alanna, then meet us in Rhea’s chambers. Follow me,” he said bluntly to me as he went down the stairs.
We did as we were told.
I had to scramble to keep up with him, and in no time we were rushing through the door to my room. Before I could catch my breath, ClanFintan pulled me roughly into his arms and covered his mouth with mine.
I wanted to struggle and remind him I had puked not too long ago, but his heat was overpowering and I felt myself enthusiastically returning the kiss. His mouth broke away from mine, and he pressed me against his hard body.
“That creature will never possess you. I will not let it happen.”
“I know, love,” I murmured against his skin as his hands roamed familiarly over my body. My knees had just begun to feel weak, when two q
uick knocks sounded at the door.
ClanFintan reluctantly let loose my body and yelled, “Come!” as I poured myself a large glass of wine and had a seat on the chaise.
Dougal, Victoria, Carolan, Alanna and Patrick poured into the room. Without any preamble, ClanFintan faced them and announced, “We leave at dawn.”
To their credit, the assembled mix of people and centaurs didn’t comment. Alanna moved quickly to the side of the room. With one of her Alanna miracles, she produced six goblets and began distributing them and pouring wine. I helped.
“How?” Carolan asked the only question.
“We form a phalanx. Part of the centaurs with clay-mores drawn and shields at ready will form the outside of the formation.” He caught Patrick’s eye. “Intermingled with human warriors holding their spears at the ready.” He turned to Vic. “And Huntresses firing their deadly crossbows. Within the phalanx will be the women and children. The rest of the centaurs and human warriors will form a line between the creatures and the phalanx. We will move out as the sun rises, heading into the east to greet it, and to cross the river. We will hold off the Fomorians until the women make it to the river, then we will follow them.”
The room was silent.
“It is the only way. If we stay here, we are all dead.”
“Many will not make it across the river.” Carolan’s voice was not accusatory—he was stating a fact.
“But some will make it,” I spoke up. “If the creatures get into the temple, the women will face something worse than death.”
“There is no way we can hold them off?” Alanna asked ClanFintan.
“No.” His answer was firm. “Not indefinitely. Nuada said more creatures were joining them. We cannot chance that their numbers will swell so large that they can trap us and overrun the temple.”
“Where do we go after we get to the other side of the river?” Patrick’s voice sounded young and afraid.
“To safety.” ClanFintan grasped the young man’s shoulder. “To the Centaur Plains. There we will rebuild and return.”
Patrick swallowed hard and nodded.
Terpsichore’s sacrifice flashed through my mind, and I considered asking for just a couple more days to see if smallpox could affect the creatures. Then I looked closely at the people and centaurs surrounding me. What if I was wrong and a few days of waiting would cause the Fomorian trap to snap shut? I simply was not willing to risk them for a maybe.
“To a new beginning!” I said and raised my goblet.
“A new beginning!” the group repeated solemnly and we raised our glasses together.
And then we got busy.
CHAPTER 23
“Moving has never been any friggin fun,” I mumbled to myself as I plodded down the hall to my bathroom. I needed to use the facilities, and I didn’t want to use the public ones (even if I knew where the hell they were). I noticed there weren’t any guards stationed outside the door to my bathing chamber, which made sense. The temple was alive with activity. Everyone had a job—there was no free time to stand in front of a door and look muscular (which was, in its own way, tragic).
The misty warmth of the room enfolded me, and I tried not to think about the fact that I may never see this room after this morning. I looked around at the steaming water and the skull candleholders—I’d miss this place.
After I’d finished my private business, I wandered over to the vanity, taking a moment to uncork a fancy bottle and breathe deeply of the soapy fragrance…and it brought back an evening under a fat moon when I’d bathed in a cold pool with a centaur who was rapidly becoming my lover. And my friend.
Please, Goddess…I closed my eyes and breathed a silent prayer. Please let him live through tomorrow. The door opened, and before I turned I recognized the click of hooves on stone.
“Alanna said she saw you sneaking in this direction.” I could hear his smile.
“I wasn’t sneaking. I just wanted some privacy.”
“Shall I leave?” he asked.
“Not privacy from you.” I grinned up at him and stepped into his arms. “How do your wounds feel?”
“Better—I told you centaurs have amazing powers of recovery.”
“So I have already noticed.” I nipped the spot just below the middle of his breastbone, enjoying the way his muscles twitched in response. “Too bad we don’t have more time.” I nipped him again.
“We will—” he hugged me to him “—tomorrow and tomorrow and many tomorrows after that.”
“I hope so,” I said, feeling safe in the circle of his arms.
“I know so.” I felt his warm lips against the top of my head. “Morale seems to be good.”
“They’re really brave. I’m proud of them.”
The women had been working since they had been notified hours before of the new evacuation plan. Told they could only carry a wineskin, a weapon and an extra change of clothing, they had set about preparing themselves for the move with an admirable lack of whining. Now, as dawn approached, families were assembling in the courtyard, quietly readying themselves for what was to come.
No one talked about the fact that there were obviously more Fomorians than humans and centaurs, and that many members of our group were hurt orill. Or the fact that the sun was rising into another misty, rainy day—which was good for the Fomorians but bad for us. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the luxury of waiting for a sunny day. And then there was the river itself, which was several hundred yards away from the temple walls, and was wide and treacherous. Many of the women could not swim. No one talked about it. Instead, the women sat with their husbands and fathers as the men quietly hefted the lances the warriors had distributed to them, trying to get a feel for weapons most of them had never before used. There were no tears—no hysteria. No talk of death.
“I’m still worried about Epi.” We had decided that she and the other mares would have the best chance at making it out of the temple and to the river if they were let loose to run at the same time the warriors departed. The creatures shouldn’t be interested in horses—so, they would probably leave them alone.
Unsaid was the thought that they might serve as a distraction, allowing the phalanx time to get closer to the river.
“She is fast and smart. She will make it to the river.”
I nodded against his chest and sent up another plea to the Goddess for her to watch after the mare.
“I want you to know something.” I pulled back so that I could look into his eyes. “You’ve made me very happy. You are everything I ever wanted in a husband.”
He tapped the tip of my nose with his finger. “As I have already told you, I was born to love you.”
“I think that’s amazing.” My eyes widened as I realized, “Hey! It’s magic.”
He laughed and bent to claim my lips, kissing me thoroughly.
Two knocks sounded on the door to the bathing chamber, and Alanna breezed in.
“ClanFintan, Victoria is asking for you. She wants to know exactly where you want her Huntresses stationed.” She glanced at me. “And I need to get my Lady ready for our trip.”
I could see Alanna was putting on a brave face, and I smiled in response.
“It’s always the appropriate time for proper accessorizing,” I said.
“Do not take long,” he said as I pulled him down to kiss his cheek before he left.
The door clicked shut and I took Alanna’s hand as a sudden idea sprang into my head.
“Dress me in something that shines!”
She looked confused. “Rhea, I do not think that is very wise. Nuada will be looking for you, you should not be easily seen.”
“There are more important things than Nuada.”
“Yes, keeping you from him is more important,” she said simply.
“Listen, you have been telling me since I got to this world that Epona’s Chosen is the leader of her people, spiritual and otherwise. Right?”
She looked a little trapped, but nodded.
“Well, how can a leader hide and expect her people to be brave and confident?”
“But you cannot be taken. That would devastate your people.” She sounded shaky.
“I have no intention of being taken.”
She looked doubtful.
“Alanna, do you truly believe I am Epona’s Chosen? And I mean me, Shannon Parker, not someone who is only pretending to be Rhiannon.” I watched her closely as she answered.
“Yes, I truly believe it.” She didn’t hesitate.
“So do I,” I said slowly, realizing once and for all that I did believe it. “I need to be there for the people, and I believe Epona will protect me.”
She still had a scared-rabbit look, so I added, “How about this—dress me in something that shines, but give me a dark cloak. I’ll cover myself unless I’m needed.”
A look of relief passed across her pretty face as she nodded in agreement and quickly began rummaging through the nearest wardrobe, discarding one silky outfit after another. I busied myself taking off the clothes I wore already.
“Yes!” Alanna squealed in delight. “Here it is.”
She turned to me, holding a spectacular piece of material in her hands. I gasped with delight, and I couldn’t stop my hands from reaching out and stroking it. The silk was unusually heavy and thick—it felt like cloth that had been made from a waterfall of copper gilded with gold. Within the fabric were sewn tiny crystal jewels, which caught the candlelight and flickered back a rainbow of fiery color.
“It’s amazing,” I breathed delightedly, holding out my arms so Alanna could begin her magic.
The dress wrapped around my torso in an attractive crisscross pattern. The skirt part of the outfit was long, and fell gracefully to the floor. I sat obediently and let Alanna comb out my hair. When she began the French knot of steel, I stopped her.
“Just pull it back with a tie.”
“It may come loose and get in your way.” She was confused by my request.