by John Lenahan
‘Yeah,’ I replied, ‘intense.’
‘Me too. When I left The Land I missed the dreams terribly, but I forgot what the nightmares were like.’
We swapped dreams. His was much more vague than mine but we suspected they were both similar. Dad thought we should talk to Nieve about it.
‘How can you trust her?’ I asked. ‘She tried to kill me-twice!’
‘That’s one of the reasons I know I can trust her.’
‘Huh?’
‘Look, Nieve is my sister and I love her. I know it caused her much pain to try to kill you, but she did it for the good of The Land. She places duty above all else.’
‘So why isn’t she stabbing me in the back as we speak?’
‘Your mother and I have a plan, and the Shadowrunes have told us it might work.’
‘I thought Aunt Nieve didn’t believe in this Shadowmagic stuff.’
‘She’s coming around.’
‘So, Pop, what’s the plan?’
‘Cialtie is using my hand, that’s how he got the Duir Rune.’
‘What, you think he carried your hand through the Choosing?’
‘More probably he got someone else to do it, but yes, he practically admitted it when we were in the dungeon, remember?’
It took me a second to think back that far. ‘I do.’
‘Well, that proves my hand is still working, and your mother thinks she can reattach it.’ He flashed a cheeky grin worthy of Fergal’s uncle.
‘You’re joking.’
‘No, she definitely thinks it can be done and so does Nieve. There are just a few difficulties.’
‘Like what?’
‘We have to break into Castle Duir, find my old hand and perform an unauthorised Choosing ceremony in the Hall of Runes.’
‘That doesn’t sound easy.’
‘It is not.’
‘How are you going to do it?’
‘That I haven’t figured out yet, but we have time.’
‘Can we take Cialtie out at the same time?’
‘Getting in and out of the castle and reattaching my hand will be hard enough without adding assassination to the plan. One thing at a time, Conor. If I get my hand back, the Runelords will follow me. Then we deal with my brother.’ He looked away, trying to contain his hate. Despite what he said to Fergal, revenge was an emotion he was struggling with too.
Fand came to the door and said, ‘Our Pooka guest is awake.’
‘Will he live?’ Dad asked.
‘No,’ Fand replied. I could feel the compassion and pain in her voice. ‘He has asked to see Deirdre.’
‘Deirdre?’ Dad said in surprise.
‘Yes, she is on her way’
She led us to the room of healing. The Pooka we had brought through the blackthorn wall was propped up in bed. The last time I had seen him he had been covered with blood-the Fili had cleaned him up but he looked bad. His skin had no colour and his lips were blue. Fand was right, he wasn’t going to last very long. Mom arrived right behind us.
‘Do you recognise him?’ Dad asked.
‘No. Poor thing.’
Mom went to the Pooka’s side and held his hand. What life there was left in him sparkled in his eyes when he saw her. ‘Are you Deirdre the Shadowwitch?’ he said in a high, pathetic voice.
I thought for a second that Mom was going to be insulted by that question, but she simply replied, ‘I am.’
‘I was sent by Lorcan.’ I could hardly hear him. He was using every ounce of his strength to speak, maybe even his last ounce of strength. ‘We need your help.’
His voice became so faint that Mom had to lean in and turn her ear to his mouth. From the expression on her face I could tell it wasn’t good news. She took a tiny piece of gold out of her pocket and placed it in the Pooka’s mouth. He instantly changed into a wolf again. Mom stepped back-so did I, and I was on the other side of the room. He let loose a mournful howl and died-then changed back into a man.
‘What did he say?’ Dad asked.
Mom covered the Pooka with a sheet, and faced us. ‘He said Cialtie is going to kill us all.’
Chapter Twenty-Two
The Army of the Red Hand
‘Before he died,’ Deirdre began, ‘the Pooka told me that Cialtie had the power to destroy all of The Land.’ We were back in the breakfast room. Everyone was there except Fergal, who was still asleep.
‘Do you believe him?’ Essa asked.
‘I do. He also said that Lorcan needed my help, immediately. But I don’t know where Lorcan is or how I can help.’
Araf, Essa and I looked at each other, but Dad looked at me with one of those Dad looks. I was going to have to break my solemn vow. I opened my mouth and waited for the lightning bolt to hit me. ‘Lorcan has an army of Leprechauns and Imps,’ I said, with resignation in my voice. ‘They call themselves the Army of the Red Hand and they’re in the Hazellands. They are planning to attack Cialtie. Just don’t tell Lorcan the Leprechaun I told you. I don’t want that guy mad at me, he’s mean when he’s angry’
‘I don’t think he will mind you telling,’ Dad said, holding up his handless arm, ‘after all, he named his army after me.’ Dad stood and put on his serious face. ‘It has begun. I knew it would, I had just not expected it to be so soon. I fear we are going to war with Castle Duir. Deirdre and I shall leave to join Lorcan’s army immediately. This fight is ours and I will not force anyone to come. If you choose to go home, I will not think any less of you.’
Fand was first to speak. ‘Neither I nor the Fili will go into battle with you. The memory of the last battle of Castle Duir is still with us. However, I support you. Remember, the freedom of the Fililands is yours. There is always refuge here for you.’
Dad bowed low-the bow of a king to a queen.
‘I am with you,’ Araf said, standing. ‘This battle is not only yours. I would have joined my fellow Imps even if you had not returned.’
‘I am with you, and so is my father,’ Essa said as she got to her feet.
‘You can speak for Gerard?’ Mom asked.
‘I can. At this moment he is making his way to meet with Lorcan.’
‘How do you know this?’ Mom asked, her eyes narrowing a bit.
Essa reached in her satchel and produced a sheet of gold framed in dark wood. It looked like an old school slate to me. Everyone else gasped in awe.
‘Is that an Emain slate?’ Araf asked with awe in his voice.
‘It is. My father has its twin.’
‘What’s so special about this?’ I said, picking it up and casually looking at it.
My father snatched the slate from my hand and gave me a look like I had just scribbled on the wall with a crayon.
‘That is probably the most expensive item you have ever held. I imagine it took a roomful of gold to set the spell onto this slate.’ Dad placed it gingerly back in front of Essa.
‘Sooorry. What does it do?’
‘Whatever is written on this slate appears on its twin slate, no matter where it is.’
‘Cool, like magic email.’
Everyone as usual looked confused. Dad rolled his eyes but nodded yes.
‘Gerard seems to have all of the cool stuff,’ I said. ‘Your dad is like a Tir-na-Nogian James Bond.’
‘Who?’ Essa said.
That was one of the many times I wished I was back in the Real World, just so people would get my jokes.
‘Essa, would you send a message to your father for me?’ Dad asked.
Essa nodded yes.
Dad turned to his sister. ‘Nieve-sister, are you with us?’
Nieve was looking down at the table. When she looked up I could swear she was close to tears. ‘I remember you both as babies. I played with you and Cialtie when you were infants. Now you want me to choose between brothers and go to war with my home.’ She paused. ‘The decision is difficult but I have made difficult decisions before. Choosing to attack you, Conor, was the hardest, and now it seems it may not have been
the right thing to do.’ She stared at her hands for a moment and then slapped them on the table. ‘I can no longer blindly follow the prophecies of the past. I must be guided by my heart and mind. Cialtie must be stopped.’ She stood. ‘I am with you, Lord Oisin.’
Dad’s eyes were shining when he bowed to her.
‘Well,’ I said, ‘I think I’m just gonna stay here and work on my tan.’
Everyone looked at me, completely stunned.
‘Hey, I’m kidding, for crying out loud. Of course I am in. Mom, Pop, I’m sticking with you.’
‘Thank you all,’ Dad said. ‘May the gods be with us. We leave at dusk.’
‘Great,’ came a voice from the doorway. It was Fergal. ‘Where are we going?’
We waited until it was pitch black before we left the Fililands. The arrow that we found in the Pooka was a Banshee arrow and we didn’t want to tangle with those guys again. The only light came from the tiniest sliver of a moon. Sorley, our Fili guide, led the way. I swear the Fili can see in the dark. The horses had ribbons in their tails that Fand said were visible in the dark only to horses’ eyes. It must have worked. Acorn was perfectly happy to follow behind Essa’s horse.
We didn’t stop until the sun came up. I was beginning to realise that here in The Land I was capable of feats of stamina that would have been impossible back in the Real World. Still, I welcomed the break. It was the first time I had a chance to talk to Fergal since our journey began. Mom, Dad and I had all spoken with him before we left, and we were surprised at how sane he seemed. We all agreed it was probably an act and that deep down he was a seething mess. There was talk of leaving him with the Fili but Dad said he had as much right to see this through as the rest of us. Fergal promised he would do as he was told. By the time we left, his smile was almost convincing.
He was sitting on a rock eating a packed lunch the Fili had made for us.
‘How you doing, cuz?’ I said.
‘I wish people would stop asking me that.’
‘It’s a rule-when someone freaks out like you did yesterday, you have to ask him how he is. So how are you?’
‘I’m alright.’
I looked at him.
‘I really am,’ he said. ‘OK, when I start thinking about it I feel myself tensing up and going crazy, but then I take a few deep breaths and clear my mind, like the Imps taught me to do, then I can go on.’
‘I was worried about you. I thought you were going to do something stupid.’
‘Me?’ he said, flashing me a Fergal smile. ‘I never do anything stupid, except when I wake up and stab people-but you don’t even have to worry about that-look.’ He pointed to his Banshee blade in a scabbard on his belt. ‘I tried to get some more gold wire so I could replace my blade in my sleeve, but the Fili don’t do that kind of magic. I hate having my sword at my waist but at least I won’t kill you next time you wake me up.’
We didn’t rest long. Dad wanted to make the Hall of Knowledge before dark. We quickened our pace. Acorn was a star. I could sense he didn’t like being back in the Hazellands but he trudged on like a trooper. At one point he let loose a whinny when I started to fall asleep in the saddle. The hours on horseback, the sun, the fresh air and Acorn’s rhythm lulled me into a bit of a hypnotised state.
Late in the day, we entered the outskirts of the Hall of Knowledge’s grounds. Sorley, our guide, was in the lead when we reached a small hill. He turned when he reached the top of the rise. I think he meant to shout a warning, but all he managed was a grunt as he fell from his saddle. He had an arrow sticking out of his chest. That woke me up.
It was Big Hair and about ten other Banshees. It must have been a scouting party. We had practically stepped on them. I think we surprised them just as much as they did us, but that didn’t stop them from instantly going on the offensive. I tried to turn Acorn to get some space between us and the screaming attackers, but as I tried I saw something fly through the air, and Acorn fell over-hard. I got my foot out of the stirrup in time and hit the ground rolling.
‘You hurt my horse!’ I screamed. ‘You son of a…’ The first Banshee came at me and I ducked and rolled. When I got to my feet he came at me, holding his sword like a baseball bat. His whole left side was wide open. It was so obvious I thought that maybe it was a trick, so I decided to parry the blade instead of attacking his weak spot. I was right-the handle of the Banshee’s sword had a dagger sticking out of it. If I had attacked on his left, he would have stabbed me. Instead, I planted my back foot and put all of my weight behind my sword. He was so shocked that I had not gone for his weak side that he was completely unprepared for the impact. The Lawnmower pushed his blade back so hard, that his own sword sliced his neck right up to the bone! That’s the problem with tricky sword manoeuvres, the first time they don’t work-they can kill you.
I didn’t have time to marvel at the fact that I had just semi-decapitated a guy with a parry, there was a lot more fighting going on. I looked around-everyone seemed to be doing OK. I almost felt sorry for the guys who were attacking Nieve and Deirdre. I saw one Banshee take a swing at Nieve and bounce off her like he had hit a stone wall. Araf and Essa were using sticks against swords, but the way they used sticks meant that the swords weren’t doing very well. Dad was in a fight with two men. I was about to go and help him when I saw the Banshee with the big hair coming up behind Fergal.
‘Hey, you!’ I shouted as I ran to intercept. ‘Yeah, you with the bad perm!’ He probably didn’t know what a perm was but he understood the tone and knew it wasn’t a compliment.
He turned. The smirk on his face meant he recognised me. Well, I remembered him too. This guy didn’t make the mistake the last guy made. No mad advances, no tricks, he just pointed his sword and walked towards me. Up till now, the Banshees I had fought hadn’t impressed me. Big Hair was the exception-his swordsmanship was good. The two of us cut and parried half a dozen times, trying to size each other up. I was very impressed with his speed. His thrusts were so fast that I had trouble seeing them coming. This was a problem. Dad had taught me to cut and parry until my opponent tired, but I had a feeling his speed would get me before he flagged. I looked for a flaw in his technique and I found it. His attacks were fast but he hesitated a microsecond afterwards to see if he connected. On his next attack I shouted, ‘Ouch!’ even though he missed me. When he looked, I came at him with a quick jab to his shoulder. He saw it coming and twisted out of the way, but lost his footing and went down. I had no moral qualms about attacking this guy on the ground but I didn’t get the chance. He rolled backwards and was on his feet in a flash. I was going to have to work for this one.
And then he did it-the oldest trick in the book. His left hand slid down to the butt of his sword pommel. I thought maybe he had a dagger stashed in there, but when his hand came away seemingly empty, I thought nothing of it. That was a big mistake. He closed the distance between us, brought his sword up, as if to attack-and threw something in my eyes with his left hand. I found out later it was sand that had been soaked in lime juice. It felt like he had thrown pins in my eyes. I was completely blinded. I tried to open them, so I could defend myself, but my eyelids would not obey. I was as good as a dead man. I swung my sword wildly in front of me, while back-pedalling; amazingly the attack failed to come. The bastard was toying with me. I calmed myself and listened. Maybe if I could hear where he was I could get in a lucky stab that might catch him off guard.
I listened-nothing. Then I heard a soft footstep to my left. I didn’t move. I didn’t want him to know I could hear him. He was trying to come up from behind me. It was terrifying. I knew I had to wait until he was in striking distance, but I also knew I could get a blade between my ribs at any second. I waited for one more footfall and I made my move. I spun and sliced into the space I was sure he occupied. My sword hit steel, was parried up and then something hit my hand and I lost my grip. My sword went flying. I was blind and disarmed. I might as well have been naked too. I toyed with the idea of running but I kn
ew that would do no good.
The last time I thought I was going to die, my life flashed before my eyes. I always have hated reruns on TV, so this time I just raised my arms and said, ‘Do your worst.’
Chapter Twenty-Three
The Return of the Hazellands
‘I never do my worst,’ said a familiar voice. ‘I always do my best.’ I knew that voice. It definitely was not Big Hair. ‘Master Dahy?’ I asked into the darkness.
‘You were doing well until you let him throw sand in your eyes,’ Dahy said.
‘Where is the Banshee?’
‘He is quite dead,’ Dahy stated. ‘I hated to interfere-but I lost my temper when he used sand. I threw a knife into his neck.’
‘Thanks,’ I said. My knees started to buckle as relief washed over me. I sat down hard. ‘How are the others?’
‘They are all fine, don’t worry. Let us take a look at those eyes.’
He left me and came back with a water skin to rinse out my peepers. They stung like crazy but I was relieved to find that I could see again. I was afraid the Banshee had blinded me for life.
By the time I could use my sore eyes properly, all of the fighting was finished. The ground was littered with dead Banshees. Mom and Nieve were tending Sorley, and no one else seemed to be harmed. I was relieved to see Acorn on his feet. Essa was examining his front legs.
‘Is Acorn OK?’
‘I don’t think anything is broken,’ she said. ‘He was tripped by some sort of rock and rope weapon. You should not ride him for a while.’
‘You’ve got the rest of the week off, old friend,’ I said as I stroked his nose.
He snorted a reply, as if to say, ‘Don’t worry about me.’ What a great horse.
A shout came from Dahy. ‘Deirdre, I think you should look at this!’
Something in his voice made us all gather around. In his hand he held a leather cord with a small gold amulet hanging from it.
‘I found this around the neck of that Banshee with all the hair. It looks like the one that your father used to wear.’