Ruark joined the group and watched as Eion hugged Orla and grasped Aodhan’s forearm. He walked to the spot where General Ruark had stood. Lara glanced over at Lady Orla with Tara at her side. Tears were streaming down their cheeks and Orla leaned against Tara for support. Lara felt her pain and a tear slid down her cheek. Kedryn noticed and put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed.
Eion stood as musicians took up a sorrowful song. When the song hit its last surrendering note he looked around at everyone.
“Please. Join me in prayer for our dearly departed Lord Blaine Henry MacCionaoith.”
Lara and Kedryn glanced at each other and looked around at everyone’s bowed heads. They looked at each other puzzled as Eion recited Psalm 23, The Lord’s Prayer. Lara repeated the words with him as she got over her shock.
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”
When Eion finished he walked over and stood beside Lara. Mental note to ask Eion about that later. She moved her attention to Aodhan as he walked away from her. Aodhan and his mother both walked up to the funeral pyre each taking a torch. They lit the wood and stood back as the flames engulfed the fallen Lords body.
Lara walked up to Aodhan and put her arms around his waist as she rested her head on his shoulder. He put his arms around both of the women who meant the world to him. Kissed his mother on the cheek, turned to Lara gently kissing her on the lips. Tomorrow was the start of the peace negotiations. General Kayne had informed him that Liam would indeed be there. He knew he would have to face Liam sooner or later and was relieved that he had not shown up.
“Let us go and get something to eat.” Aodhan said sadly to them and gently led Lara and Orla away to General Ruark’s pavilion.
It was one of the shortest funerals that Lara had attended. As her father always said The shortest and sweetest sermons are the best. The funeral had ended at sunset and as Lara glanced back at the funeral pyre. It was surrounded by the brilliant oranges, blues and pinks of the sunset. She looked over at Aodhan and saw that his brow was furrowed as he was deep in thought.
Aodhan was hoping the peace negotiations did not last too long. He wanted to get both his mother and Lara back to Quenith and was going to have a talk with Kedryn’s little group too. He thought that before they take their little side excursion that they should at least come to Quenith and participate in a morning celebration game. He hoped and prayed Kedryn along with the others he was going with would come back alive. For Lara’s and all their sakes.
While Kedryn was gone he would also have all of that time to work on Lara. Maybe, just maybe, she would decide that she and Kedryn would stay with him in this realm. Or at least figure out a compromise. That was something to think about later, much, much later.
Chapter 42
Impatiently Lord Faolan tapped his fingers together in front of him. He stood directly in front of the marble fireplace in his chamber. Even though no fire was lit black smoke rose surrounding him. He had once learned that when the fire was put out he could manipulate the smoke so that it curled and floated up around him. It worked remarkably well as a scare tactic.
He looked down at Damon as he kneeled before him. Faolan was feeling smug with himself. He had timed this little meeting just right. Faolan wanted to make sure that Lady Paili was out of the way before he summoned Damon. She would have interfered with his plan especially if it even held a hint of it possibly get Damon killed. Paili also knew that if it did Lord Faolan wouldn’t think twice about it.
“Rise Damon.” he said and watched as Damon rose before him with a hint of fear in his eyes.
“Even though General Daigh is gone the plans I have set into motion must proceed. I cannot have both the descendant or her son alive. You are the only one who can get in and out of there quickly. Be swift because you know as well as I that the others will be able to sense your arrival.”
Damon looked at Lord Faolan with cold eyes. He knew Faolan wanted revenge on his sister since she took up with General Daigh. He thought the general’s death would have been enough. Now he sensed differently. Damon was seriously getting tired of the games this man was playing with his sister. Unfortunately he was too powerful for either of them to overtake. He decided to subtly rub a little of Daigh’s death in Faolan’s face for once.
“The troops are almost ready, my Lord. With General Daigh gone it has all become chaos. They need a General.” He thought of the men below General Daigh who were now fighting over the position. All but one who bid his time.
“He was my favored General. I should have realized how much he had done for the troops before I let him go on that little side excursion and get himself killed. However, I will find another.” Faolan said and gave Damon a deathly evil gaze that made him flinch back.
“I can think of one. He would have to prove himself.” Damon said.
“As can I. Now go. Complete part if not all of the mission I have assigned you. I will deal with your sister if she asks where you are. Return alive. I do believe that your sister would be quite put out with me if you do not.”
“As you wish, my Lord.”
Damon gave a slight mocking bow and disappeared in a reddish orange flash. He landed right on the edge of the sparse forest and decided to go after the son first. He landed close to the Danann soldiers tents. Scanning them wondering how he was going to find out which one was the descendant’s or her son’s tent. He hoped that Aodhan was too distracted with grief to noticed his arrival.
Damon didn’t have to worry. Aodhan dismissed the jolt he felt as Niall. Niall was another worry and his worry disappeared as he watched three men walk out of a tent.
“Cadmon.” he said under his breath. As he studied the captive Firbolg, he noticed that Cadmon looked to be disgruntled as he was flanked by two men. Damon almost followed them to see where they took him.
His attention was drawn away from Cadmon by two men he recognized. He saw the Battle Raven’s son walking with Niall. He recognized the descendant’s son since the image was practically burned in his head when he pushed his way into Doyle’s mind. Damon studied Niall as he stepped up to a tent. It seemed that there was no look of worry or recognition on his face of his translocation. Surely Niall would have notified the guard. It seemed strange to Damon and he would worry about it when it became a worry. He skimmed from shadow to shadow over to the tent they had walked into.
Getting into a more comfortable position he waited for the jolt of Aodhan’s arrival and felt none. This concerned him and he did not know why. He was told they all could sense each other. Could the accuracy of the writings of his power be wrong?
The writings were not incorrect. Niall had felt the jolt but didn’t think much about it feeling different from Aodhan’s. He assumed that it was Aodhan coming back after seeing his mother home. He did not know how wrong he was.
Damon observed the camp from where he was and still did not see the Lady Battle Raven. He decided to move forward and start with the son and listened for the voices to fade and shortly after saw the lanterns fade to a faint glow. Damon concentrated and heard a light snoring. They were all fast asleep.
He made a slit in the corner of the tent and slid in staying squatted down in the shadows as he surveyed the room. Three men were on the cots and an oil lamp was dimly lit above an empty cot.
Damon hesitated and ran his hand through his hair. For a second he questioned himself as to why he did all this for a man who could care less if he was alive or dead. He thought of his sister and hardened his heart and looked at the men in the bunks. Both the son and Niall had blond shaggy hair and were facing the side of the tent. He decided it really wouldn’t matter if he murdered one and left the knife by the other it would cause problems for either.
He slowly crept his way over to one of the bunks raising his dagger ready to strike. He heard the drawing of a sword and ignored the sound as he arched a deadly strike at the man in the cot below him. As he struck down his blade sunk into the
man below. He the felt a sharp pain of a sword slash his back.
Feeling himself going into shock he drew on the last of his energy. A faint weak reddish orange glow surrounded Damon as he translocated back to Faolan’s chambers and landed with a dull thud at Lady Paili’s feet. He heard a shrill screech and felt sticky wet blood pool around him as everything went black.
Character Fun Facts:
Lara Eve O’Broin
Name: Lara - Superman’s mother’s name
Eve - well, if you know the bible.
O’Broin - Raven
Favorites:
TV: Firefly, Leverage, Supernatural, Primeval, Wonder Woman
Movies: Serenity, Superman, Star Wars (Old School), The Princess Bride, Every Lord of the Rings and Indiana Jones Movies
Songs: Weight of the World (Evanescence), Worlds Collide (Apocalyptica), Life is not Fair (Head Phones President) and too many more to name.
Favorite Authors: R.A. Salvatore, David Eddings, Brent Weeks, J.R.R. Tolkien, Suzanne Frank among many more and all history books.
Video Games: Not much of a games but does have a Guild Wars account.
Hero: My Son, Mother, Sister and Wonder Woman
Weapon of choice: Sai
Weapon used: Badb’s Daggers
Kedryn Ashton O’Broin
Name: Kedryn - Hero prince in a book his mom read.
Ashton - A play off of the enemy of Kedryn in the book, Ashar.
O’Broin - Raven
Favorites:
TV: Supernatural, Ghost Hunters (TAPS & GHI), Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Eureka Seven, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Star Wars Robot Chicken
Movies: All Lord of the Rings, Every Harry Potter Movie, Final Fantasy Seven: Advent Children, Kamikaze Girls, Five Centimeters Per Second
Video Games: Final Fantasy Seven, Company of Heroes, Persona Four, Guild Wars, Team Fortress 2
Songs: Brain Stew (Green Day), Smells like Teen Spirit (Nirvana), Why (Ayaka), Komm, Suesser Tod
Hero: My mom and Brett Favre
Weapon of choice: Cloud Strife’s Buster Sword
Weapon used: Claymore
The Men of Celtic Rain:
Aodhan Mahon MacCionaoith
Name: (Ay-dahn) meaning: Fire
Family Crest: Griffon
Weapon: Claymore
Lord Blaine Henry McCionaoith
Name meaning: lean
Family Crest: Griffon
Weapon: Claymore
General Ruark Callahan
Name: (Roo-ark) meaning: champion
Family Crest: Lion
Weapon: Claymore
Eion McGrath
Name: (Ein)
Family Crest: Panther
Weapon: Lapisphere and Staff
Liam Solo O’Cuinn
Name: (Lee-am) meaning: unwavering protector
Family Crest: Dragon
Weapon: Long sword
General Kayne Lynch
Name meaning: little battler
Family Crest: Ship
Weapon: Sword and Shield
Faolan O’Laighin
Name meaning: wolf
Family Crest: Wolf
Weapon: Carnelian Sphere and Trident spear
General Daigh Byme
Name meaning: flame
Family Crest: Minotaur
Weapon: Triple ball mace
Damon Cillion
Family Crest: Falcon
Weapon: War hammer
Scanlon Indi Lyons
Name meaning: little trapper
Family Crest: Serpent
Weapon: Twin hooks
Devlyn Hughes
Name meaning: brave and fierce
Family Crest: Dragonfly
Weapon: Double edge battle ax
Carrick Stewart
Family Crest: Tall Oak
Weapon: Short sword
Dillon McKenna
Family Crest: Bear
Weapon: Bar mace
Niall Han O’Connell
Liam’s cousin on his mothers side.
Family Crest: Dragon
Weapon: Long sword
Doyle Layman
Name: meaning: dark stranger
Family Crest: Jackal
Weapon: Short sword
Lawler Munsing
Name meaning: mutterer
Family Crest: war horse
Weapon: Claymore
Christian Delaney
Family Crest: Flame
Weapon: Spiked war hammer
Lieutenant Kory Donnlan
Family Crest: Rhodesian Ridgeback
Weapon: Sword and Shield
Lieutenant Derrick Stafford
Family Crest: Hawksbill turtle
Weapon: Sword and Shield
Lieutenant Lawrence Flynn
Family Crest: Shark
Weapon: Sword and Shield
Lieutenant Bryor MacBrádaigh
Family Crest: Hawk
Weapon: Sword and Shield
The Women of Celtic Rain:
Paili Deirdre Cillion
Name: (Pahl-ee) meaning: bitter
Family Crest: Falcon
Weapon: Rapier sword
Bevin McCurinth
Name: (Bay-vin) meaning: melodious
Family Crest: Bear
Weapon: None, That is what men are for.
Doireann James
Name: (Door-e-ann) Meaning: gift of God
Family Crest: Moon
Weapon: Healer
Fand Kemmish
Family Crest: Fist
Weapon: Healer
Kaylee Clarke
Family Crest: Sun
Weapon: Healer
Brenna MacBradaigh
Family Crest: If she had a choice it would be a book.
Weapon: The pen is mightier than the sword.
Shanna Stewart
Family Crest: Oak tree
Weapon: Crossbow
Gobnait Delaney
Name: (Gohb-nit)
Family Crest: Fire
Weapon: Short sword
Celtic Rain (The Battle Raven Series) Page 37