Rundimahair: A new hero for a new adventure

by Larry Forkner

  The malevolent forces she was protecting her people from might well have such gifts. Ashling was very good at covering her enchanted tracks. She had also learned that the malicious sorceress who now ruled the Tuatha immortals was adept at finding traces of magic-especially very powerful enchantments.

  The dark sorcerer’s name was Grainne, which meant dark blade or sword. Grainne was a descendant of Danu, who’d birthed the sorcerers known as the Tuatha race.

  Almost from the very creation of the earth, Danu had used the powers of darkness to battle against the Sidhe. In the beginning, their success was very limited. The angelic powers of the Sidhe held secret powers the followers of Danu couldn’t overcome.

  For centuries, the Sidhe used their powers to protect the human race against the Tuatha immortals. As long as they held together, they were invulnerable to the dark powers of Danu and her people.

  Unfortunately, Danu was very powerful and beautiful beyond description. She eventually seduced male members of the Sidhe to join her followers. Together, they begat children with the angelic powers of the Sidhe mixed with Danu’s terrible, dark powers. The mix of powers eventually allowed them to destroy the monastery in Sean’s dream.

  Danu’s warriors had been instructed to bring the ancient records to her before burning the monastery. Despite their best efforts, angelic fire flared up out of the hidden archives. All of the Sidhes magical history went up in flames, along with many of Danu’s warriors.

  Without those records, Danu and her followers were limited to a basic, very dark strain of sorcery. That didn’t mean it wasn’t incredibly strong and effective. It was nearly the equal of the original, pure enchantment with which Ashling was very gifted.

  Danu’s form of sorcery, mixed with the power of the fallen angels, was very deadly. It didn’t delve into the many nuances of the higher enchantments, but in many ways it was an unstoppable source of pure evil and destruction. In truth, it was terrifying to contemplate how very powerful she and her mixed-race followers had become. Left unchecked, their dark sorcery could eventually destroy nations or even an entire world. This was why the Creator took away their ability to harm humans with their dark powers.

  The Sidhe had eventually managed to banish Danu to outer darkness. Even though her dark, immortal soul would never die, Danu was consigned to a place of such despair and hopelessness that she would gladly have chosen eternal death over her imprisonment in outer darkness.

  After pondering the terrible history between the Tuatha immortals and the angelic Sidhe, Ashling felt a sudden, urgent need to check on Sean again. Despite her reluctance, she did a quick mind link with him. He’d been home for over a month, and Ashling prayed his memories would be free of Rundimahair and her people. To her relief, his mind was clear and at peace while he slept. She didn’t take time to delve deeply into his mind tracks but felt reassured that Sean was going to be able to move on with his life. Any possible lingering memories would surely disappear as time moved on.

  * * *

  It had been another tough week for Sean. On the one hand, his real estate business was booming. This company had been the main focus of his life since he came to work here as a teenager. What had started out as a part-time, after-school job had quickly become his hope for the future.

  Sean begun a hands-on education, in wheeling and dealing in real estate, with the owner of the Oregon Development Corporation. His name was Bill Stanton. At the time, Sean was only sixteen and still in high school. Bill had hired him to run errands and help around the office as needed.

  Sean’s life to that point had not been ideal. He still had no idea who his absent father was. His mother had been a beautiful woman, who’d gotten pregnant when she was only nineteen. She was ill-equipped to care for a sickly infant because she too seemed to be sick most of the time. As Sean grew older, he realized that her sickness was mostly due to drug and alcohol dependency.

  There were times when she could be a kind and thoughtful mom, but as Sean grew up, those happy moments became few and far between. It always seemed like his mom was a lost soul, who simply couldn’t deal with the realities of life. She was always dreaming of a better life somewhere, but she could never find it.

  Sean had been in and out of foster care for much of his life. When he was only nine, his mom disappeared for a year. He was placed in foster care with a good family who were always kind and patient with him.

  His mom finally returned a year later, clean and sober. She worked very hard to get custody of her son again. Just after Sean turned eleven, she was granted full custody. Six months later, she was found dead from a drug overdose.

  Grieving the loss of his mom, he was put back into the foster care system. This time the family he lived with was not nearly as kind and supportive.

  They weren’t abusive, and they kept him fed and clothed. However, to Sean, it was obvious they were in the foster care business for the money. They followed all the rules and cared for the four children who lived with them. What they couldn’t provide was the love and comfort Sean had always hoped for.

  The one thing that his foster parents had taught him was that if he wanted to get ahead in life, he needed a great education. Sean listened and was a straight-A student all through high school.

  When Sean took the job with Bill Stanton, it had only been to earn money for things like cell phones and the more expensive type of clothes he wanted to wear.

  Sean spent as much time as possible working for Bill’s company. His incredible work ethic wasn’t just directed at earning spending money. Sean began to feel needed and appreciated at work, which were two things he’d not seen much of in his young life.

  During the summer months, Sean worked out on the construction sites and was a natural at learning the ins and outs of construction and development. Bill had even implemented some of his ideas for improving efficiency in their development process.

  Bill Stanton and his wife, Eva, were not able to have children of their own. They’d come to terms with that over the years and put all their time and interest in their business. Eva worked in the office and she noticed that Sean was very bright. Just as he had learned quickly on the construction sites, he also seemed a natural at the business side of real estate development.

  Without realizing it, Eva and Sean began to fulfill a need they both had. She began to think of Sean like a son, and he thought of her as the mother he should have had. The relationship with Bill was equally close for Sean. He admired and looked up to Bill immensely.

  By the time he was eighteen, he was spending most of his time at the Stanton home. They’d even given him a suite of rooms that usually sat empty in their basement. When he graduated from high school, near the top of his class, he also graduated from foster care. It was a natural fit for him to move in full time with Bill and Eva.

  The next three years of his life were by far the best. When he’d graduated from high school, he already had two years’ worth of college credit. He graduated with a degree in business management by the age of twenty.

  Not only were the Stanton’s kind and generous with him, but they also traveled extensively with Sean. They showed him the world and taught him how to take advantage of opportunities. His understanding of business and his self-confidence grew immensely.

  By the time Sean was twenty, he was a partner in the business. Bill and Eva were in their late fifties and relied more and more on him. Sean did all that he could to justify their trust and kindness. He had never been happier in his entire life.

  Just after his twenty-first birthday, Bill and Eva decided they would spend a month in Italy. It was their favorite destination in Europe. With Sean running the business so well, they finally had time to enjoy other things in life. He was grateful he could give them the time and freedom they’d often lacked.

  They kept in touch through video chats, and Sean could see that they were having the time of their lives. They had even learned to speak some of the language. The night before their flight home, they
told Sean to be ready for all the gifts they were bringing.

  It was the last time he spoke to the couple who had become the parents he’d always wished for. Their flight home encountered engine failure and went down over the ocean. It was in very deep waters and no passengers were ever recovered.

  Sean grieved fiercely for the two people he’d grown to love most in this world. Just when he thought his life had turned a corner toward real happiness, fate had dealt him another cruel blow.

  After the funeral services, his grief felt like a deep pit he couldn’t climb out of. Not only had he lost his surrogate mom and dad, he’d also lost his mentors in the business world. When he was notified that the Stanton’s attorney needed to meet with him, Sean assumed the worst. There was probably some relative somewhere who would take over the business, or it would be sold and the assets distributed according to their wishes.

  Sean had met Stan’s brother, who was eight years older than Stan. He also knew Eva had brothers and sisters who would be looking to inherit as well. He didn’t mind someone else owing the business, as long as he could continue to work there. He hoped and even prayed that they wouldn’t sell the business he’d grown to love.

  The morning he met with Stan and Eva’s lawyer; Sean was surprised to see he was the only one at the meeting. He’d expected all the heirs to be there.

  “Good morning, Sean,” the mostly gray-haired woman said kindly. “My name is Beverly, and I’m so sorry we had to meet for the first time under these circumstances. However, I am happy to finally meet you.”

  “A pleasure to meet you as well,” he said numbly.

  “You may be wondering why Bill and Eva’s other heirs are not present.”

  “It crossed my mind,” he acknowledged.

  “Those were the terms of their will, Sean. As they instructed, I have met with the other six heirs individually. You are the last heir.”

  Sean knew they would leave him something, maybe even a small share of their fortune. He had no idea how much they were worth, and he really didn’t care. Money could never replace what he’d lost.

  The petite, older lawyer seemed to be a kind and compassionate woman. She proved that to be true when she said, “I know nothing could ever replace Bill and Eva in your life, Sean. They were very special people. To tell you the truth, I’m still wondering how I’ll get along without them in my life. We’ve been friends since Eva and I attended law school together.”

  Sean looked up in surprise when Beverly began to tear up and had to stop and compose herself. He hadn’t realized she was such a close friend to Bill and Eva.

  “I’m sorry,” Sean said. “I didn’t realize you were that close to them. They truly were the finest people I ever knew.”

  After the attorney composed herself, she sniffled and said, “Yes, it’s a rare privilege to meet people you can treasure as great friends.”

  “I wish I’d had more time with them,” Sean said sadly.

  The kind-hearted attorney sighed heavily and said, “Indeed so. I can tell you that your wish would be the same as theirs. They often told me that you had become the son they’d never been able to have. It’s difficult to express how much love and joy you brought into their lives.”

  “It’s impossible to explain how much I’d come to love and appreciate them,” Sean said, as tears tracked down his cheeks.

  After a few moments, while Sean composed himself, Beverly sighed and said, “It’s time to get on with the business at hand.”

  Sean steeled his emotions, preparing to hear that he was out of a job now that someone else would own the company he loved. All he could do was nod at the attorney.

  “They have divided up much of their assets amongst their family and loved ones,” she said, back to using her professional attorney voice. “The house is going to be sold and the proceeds will be given to Eva’s younger sister, who’s having health issues of her own right now.”

  Sean listened as the attorney continued to explain much more than she probably needed to. It was almost like she was treating him as a member of the family. But Sean knew that no matter how much they’d meant to each other; he was never truly part of their family.

  “Of course they left the real estate business to you, Sean.”

  He was thinking about his time with Bill and Eva and wasn’t sure he heard her correctly. “What was that last thing you said?” he asked.

  She looked up at him and smiled kindly. “I said that they left the real estate business to you, Sean.”

  It couldn’t be true. He had to be dreaming. “They left it to me?” he asked incredulously.

  “Who else would they leave it to? You’ve practically been running it by yourself the past year or so. You love the business as much as they did. You’re the natural choice, Sean.”

  “But there’s still so much I have to learn,” he stammered, still in shock.

  “Then you’ll learn it as the new owner of the Oregon Development Corporation,” She said, her smile widening. “I’ll stay on as legal counsel, and Tera will still handle the taxes quarterly and at year end. The rest is up to you.”

  Since the day he’d inherited the business, Sean had worked very hard to justify Bill and Eva’s faith in him. He’d put his heart and soul into his work and built the company larger every year. Now, at twenty-four, Sean was one of the most successful business men on the west coast.

  While Sean was careful to stay on the right side of legal boundaries in business, he was known as a hard negotiator and a great salesman. Some who had dealt with him felt like he’d made promises during negotiation that weren’t completely fulfilled in the final product.

  Being a great salesman was something that came naturally to him and Bill had helped him refine it into an art form. Eva had always encouraged Bill to not stray across ethical boundaries, but occasionally he came close to crossing that line. Some people felt Sean had crossed that line more than once.

  Jennie was aware of Sean’s gift for charming potential clients and occasionally making a deal sound too good to be true. Not too surprisingly, he was particularly adept at charming female clients.

  While she knew that Sean had the final say, Jennie had accepted the role of helping Sean not push too hard to make a deal happen or make promises he couldn’t keep. On occasion, she felt like he went too far in charming and complementing women. It came so naturally to him that he didn’t seem to notice when it got a little out of control. Jennie and Sean didn’t realize it, but all of that was about to change dramatically.

  Chapter Six

  May those who love us, love us.

  And for those who don’t love us,

  May God turn their hearts.

  And if He cannot turn their hearts

  May He turn their ankles,

  So we may know them by their limping.

  ~ Old Irish Saying ~

  When Sean arrived at work on a bright and sunny Friday morning, he was feeling better than he had for weeks. It had been three months since he’d left Rundimahair, and he still had no real recollection of what occurred there.

  The only strange lingering trouble was a series of odd dreams, which seemed to repeat every few nights. He could only occasionally remember a few small details of the dreams the next morning. Mostly it was a jumble of confusing images, which made little or no sense.

  There were two images, which were most clear and consistent. The first was of him driving his SUV into a deep, rocky ravine during a terrible storm. The second image was much more pleasant. At the end of each dream, Sean always saw the face of an angel. Actually, it was the face of a beautiful young woman with thick, wavy, auburn hair and bright, warm green eyes. Usually she was smiling, which made her eyes even warmer and more compelling. Occasionally, he could recall great sadness in her eyes. It felt like she was about to do something she really didn’t want to do.

  Sean usually allowed the images of the beautiful woman to linger in his thoughts. This morning he let the images fade, so he could focus on
a critical business meeting, which started in thirty minutes.

  He stepped into Jennie’s office to be sure everything was ready for the meeting. He wanted to be sure this all went according to plan. If all went well, they’d be signing a very lucrative real estate purchase contract before the meeting was over.

  They’d been in negotiations with this seller for nearly a month, and this morning they were finally ready to close on the deal. If he was able to purchase the land at the price he had in mind, it would be one of the best deals he’d made in years.

  The sellers owned a beautiful piece of land near Salem. It would be perfect for a combination project with retail on the ground floor and condos above. He already had the preliminary design finished.

  His company would realize a tremendous profit once the work was complete. Of course, he didn’t want the sellers to realize just how profitable it would be. If they understood the potential, he was sure they would ask for much more on the property sale.

  This was an area where he and Jennie were occasionally at odds with each other. She was always looking for a good profit, but never to the point where they were taking unfair advantage of someone.

  In Sean’s mind, they disagreed on what was taking advantage of someone, and what was just good business. Jennie always wanted to give the seller the fair market value for their property. He didn’t want to steal anyone’s land, but he believed it was the seller’s responsibility to figure out if the land was worth more than he was offering. It was his job to figure out the best way to earn the highest profit.

  When he walked into her office, she was sitting behind her desk, gathering files together. He furrowed his brow when he looked closely at Jennie. She had dark circles under her eyes, and it appeared her makeup had been hastily applied.