Sean landed softly on the castle tower, which was at least sixty-feet high, and sat just inside the tall, gated entrance. The main building, which he’d explored on his first visit, was in the center of the huge compound. Dozens of other large buildings sat along the back of the compound, spread out evenly.
In between the impressively designed buildings were spacious, open grounds, with beautiful gardens and large areas of luscious green lawn. It may have been created by dark magic, but it was a remarkably lovely sanctuary.
What puzzled Sean was the relatively small size of the compound. It was less than a third of the size of Rundimahair. Of course, Rundimahair was spread out with lots of land for farming, while Grainne’s hidden lair looked more like a military compound. He wondered if she had more followers hidden elsewhere.
He silently soared over the compound, trying to commit it all to memory. Here and there Sean saw groups of guards on patrol. They didn’t look up and seemed completely unaware as he flew over their heads. When two gray dragons flew past him, they didn’t show any awareness of his presence.
Sean finally landed behind one of the buildings set against the rear wall of the compound. He wanted to change back into his human form, but for some reason he couldn’t trigger the change.
While he struggled to complete the change, he heard the now familiar voice in his head saying, “They can’t see you in your dragon self. Some of her followers will see other dragons, but none will see you. Grainne may sense your presence in human form, but she will not sense your dragon. There is much to do, for you will attack her home base at the end of the ninth month.”
Once the voice had finished speaking, Sean’s eyes opened and he realized he was still lying in bed. It had all been a vision. Sean locked in his mind the memory of everything he’d seen. It was obviously information they would desperately need.
Suddenly the door to his bedroom swung open and Ashling burst into his room. She rushed to the corner of his bed and sat down. Sean noticed she had a look of excited expectation on her face, but also a touch of irritation.
“First, tell me every detail of your vision. Second, tell me why you’re having the visions now instead of me,” Ashling said.
“Isn’t there a rule about knocking before you enter a gentleman’s bedroom? And I feel compelled to point out that your hair is a bit unruly at the moment,” Sean said, smiling.
“My hair looks fine and quit being a baby. I’ve been in your bedroom before,” Ashling said, as she ran her fingers through her hair.
“I could have been standing around in my underwear,” Sean said in pretended outrage.
“Nothing I haven’t seen before while you change back and forth from your dragon self,” Ashling said, with a low chuckle.
“All right then, I’ll get up”, he said, as he sat up quickly.
When she saw bare skin to his waist, when he threw back the covers, she started to turn away. Then she caught sight of his Batman pajamas and relaxed as she said, “Batman-very stylish.”
“Hey, Batman is cool,” he said defensively. “Besides, they were a gift from a friend.”
Ashling couldn’t help but appreciate that Sean had filled out and added a lot of muscle. His upper body was lean, hard, and trim. “Put a shirt on you naked heathen,” she said.
“You like it” he said, as he grabbed a t-shirt off his dresser and put it on.
“Yes, I do,” she agreed. “Now tell me about the vision.”
“How did you even know I had a vision? You ran in here a few seconds after it was over.”
“I know everything. Now tell me the details of the vision.”
“If you know everything, then I don’t need to tell you the details. You already know,” Sean said, smiling.
Ashling rolled her eyes and smiled as she said, “Tell me everything.”
Sean yawned mightily and then began telling her everything he recalled about the vision. When he was finished, they were both silent for a few moments. She needed time to ponder all he’d said.
“This isn’t where all of her people live,” Ashling finally said. “It isn’t nearly large enough to hold them all.”
“That was the feeling I got too. This was more like a military base,” Sean agreed.
“I’ve always believed that the majority of Grainne’s people are still in Ireland. From what we’ve learned over the years, she has several bases like the one you saw in your vision. Although this is by far the largest,” Ashling said.
“I suppose she’s always suspected that you fled to America when you left Ireland,” Sean said. “That’s why her best warriors are over here.”
“Unfortunately, that is true. What we need to do now is plan a strategy around your visions. They will be the key to our success in the coming battles.”
“Not to upset you or anything, but why is it I am getting the visions since my dragon appeared? It was always you before,” Sean said.
“To tell you the truth, that kind of bothered me too. Why bother to change the conduit for visions now? I suppose that as long as the visions come, it doesn’t really matter who receives them.”
“Probably has to do with my brilliant mind,” Sean said, smiling.
“You wish,” Ashling said, punching him on his shoulder.
“What is it with you and hitting people?”
“I don’t hit people–just you,” she said, leaning in to give Sean a kiss.
The kiss led to an embrace and gradually, much more passionate kissing. Ashling leaned into Sean until he gradually lay down on the bed, with Ashling on top of him. She felt a stir of passion and love that almost frightened her with its intensity.
They stopped kissing for a moment and just looked into each other’s eyes. “This could get serious,” Sean said, barely above a whisper.
“It already is Sean,” Ashling said, leaning forward for another kiss.
Sean closed his eyes as their lips touched, and then something totally unexpected occurred. He felt Ashling’s weight suddenly lift off him. He opened his eyes to see if she decided to calm things down a bit. To his great surprise and concern, Ashling wasn’t in the room.
Sean knew she hadn’t run out of his room because she hadn’t made a sound. He’d also opened his eyes seconds after her weight lifted off him. He still got to his feet and rushed to the door.
When he swung the door open and rushed into the hall, Ashling was nowhere in sight, nor could he hear the sound of running feet–hers or anyone else’s.
Chapter Sixteen
Count your smiles instead of your tears;
Count your courage instead of your fears.
~ Old Irish Saying ~
“It’s been a long, long time, Lady Ashling,” an aged voice said from the thick, black darkness.
Ashling was silent for a moment, while she composed herself. She knew this was outer darkness, where only the vilest spirits dwelled. It had been over a hundred years since she’d been here, and it was the same dark spirit that had called her from the mortal world a century ago.
“It has been a long time since you invited me to join you here,” Ashling calmly replied.
“I’m sure the decades have passed much more pleasantly for you than for me,” the scratchy, aged voice said.
“No doubt, grandmother,” Ashling said. “We all make choices and sooner or later we all live with the consequences.”
“You were always good with words, dear Granddaughter. It’s one of the many things I admire most about you.”
Ashling could hear the bitter tone in her aged relative’s voice. She wasn’t Ashling’s grandmother. The old hag was her great grandmother, many times removed. Her given name was Cassiday.
Cassiday had been gifted with many talents and powers when she was called to go to the mortal world. At that time, only Grainne could match her powers.
Many generations later, Ashling was born into the mortal world. When she grew into her teen years, Ashling’s powers began to blossom and grow. By the time she rea
ched her thirtieth year, Ashling’s powers rivaled both powerful women.
Grainne had long ago rebelled against the light and chose the powers of darkness as her path. When she realized how great Cassiday’s powers would become, Grainne began a long, challenging process, which eventually corrupted Cassiday completely.
Cassiday was always drawn to the powers of darkness. For a time she managed to stay away from completely embracing them. She loved her daughter and grandchildren enough to keep her from falling completely away from the light. She also knew if she embraced the darkness, her family would be lost to her.
When Grainne openly recruited her to join the followers of Donal, Cassiday resisted for many long years. In the end, her desire to gain more and more power took control of her.
She joined Grainne with the promise that she would stand with her in defeating and ruling all of the Sidhe. This included Eamon, Ashling and all of the descendants of Orlagh who’d remained faithful to the true mission of the Sidhe.
“It must have taken many years and cost you much to be able to call me here again,” Ashling said.
Cassiday was silent for a moment before she said, “You’ll never know how high a price I paid to summon you. I know I’ll never be able to do so again.”
“That’s good to know,” Ashling said. “It’s not my favorite place to visit.”
“I remember a time when you loved to visit your dear old grandmother,” Cassiday said bitterly.
Ashling could hear the undertone of sorrow in her grandmother’s voice. “I remember a time when I loved you and you were worthy of that love,” she said.
She knew the words stung, but she was long past worrying about being gentle with her evil ancestor. The fact that she dared to call her to the misery that was outer darkness, showed that her selfish instincts still ruled her mind.
“It was your choices that put you here for eternity, Cassiday. We tried everything to keep you from following Grainne. You chose her and the powers of darkness over your own family. You have no one to blame but yourself.”
“How dare you talk to me this way!” Cassiday shouted as a blue flame began to glow in the dark.
Ashling watched as Cassiday let her dragon self loose. She could see the outline of the woman she’d once loved and admired. It was sad to see what she had become.
Her dragon-self was now black instead of the beautiful blue dragon she’d once been. Her flames were deep blue now and barely cast any light at all.
Ashling let her own dragon self loose and roared, as she released a mighty burst of hot, red flames. She heard creatures scurrying in the surrounding darkness, screeching in terror, as they desperately tried to escape the flames.
Cassiday released her dragon-self and hung her head in despair. She didn’t even have the courage to look at Ashling’s mighty dragon self.
“You’re right, Ashling, I have no one to blame but myself for being trapped here. I brought you here with the last of my powers to seek your help. I know I don’t deserve it, but I wish to serve the Sidhe again.”
Ashling was shocked to hear such words from her grandmother. She’d been lost in bitter evil for so long it was nearly impossible to believe what she’d just heard.
“I know I can never come home again, after all that I’ve done wrong. But if I could help you defeat Grainne and her followers, perhaps the council would take me from outer darkness and let me serve my ancestors who’ve gone before me.”
Ashling searched through Cassiday’s open mind and realized that she was very sincere. Her grandmother was no longer strong enough to keep Ashling from reading her true intent. “I can’t make a promise like that, Cassiday,” she said quietly as she let go of her dragon self.
“Please keep enough fire to light the darkness around us. It has been so long since I saw anything but the dark.”
Ashling’s feelings softened somewhat toward her grandmother when she heard the desperate, pleading tone of her voice. She allowed a gentle light to continue emanating from her dragon self. “Tell me what you have in mind and I will see what I can do on your behalf. But hear me well, Grandmother. If this is some kind of treachery on your part, you will find out there are worse places to spend eternity than outer darkness.”
“You know I speak the truth, Granddaughter!” Cassiday said in a shrill, panicked voice. “It is Grainne I will betray, not my family.”
Ashling listened to the desperate thoughts running through Cassiday’s mind, and she knew her grandmother did indeed speak the truth. Her time in outer darkness had finally broken the evil inclinations that put her here.
In a gentler tone, she said, “Tell me everything and tell it quickly. Time is short for Rundimahair. Grainne and her followers are many and they seek our complete and utter destruction.”
“Yes, her ambition to rule all of the Sidhe is a dangerous obsession. I may have a way we can use that against her,” Cassiday said hopefully.
“Tell me now, Grandmother. I can feel the powers you used to bring me here fading quickly. I won’t stay much longer,” Ashling said.
Cassiday began outlining her plan quickly, desperate to finish before Ashling was taken away. She knew this was her last chance to leave this eternal sorrow called outer darkness.
* * *
Sean was just about to start pounding on Eamon’s bedroom door when he felt a rush of warm air behind him. He turned to see Ashling standing in the kitchen, looking as though she was about to collapse.
“Ashling!” he cried out as he rushed forward and took her in his arms. “Where have you been?”
“I’ll explain it all later, my dear. Right now, just help me to my bed so I can sleep for a day or two,” she said wearily.
Although he was full of unanswered questions, Sean could see she was on the verge of collapse. Without another word, he picked her up and carried her off to bed.
The next morning, in a turnabout from the normal breakfast routine in the Cahir household, it was Sean cooking over-easy eggs, bacon and toasting English muffins. Just as he was setting everything on the table, Eamon came in from some early morning work in the garden.
“Saints be praised! Do my old eyes deceive me? Sean with his apron on and cooking up a storm in the kitchen while Ashling sleeps ‘til noon,” Eamon said, smiling.
“Any more of that and you’ll be making your own breakfast, old fella,” Sean said, chuckling.
“Old fella is it,” Eamon said as he sat in his usual chair at the head of the table. “I suppose I can’t be arguing the truth of that young son. It looks like you’re no slouch in the kitchen yourself,” he added as he began filling his plate.
“I do my best,” Sean said. “After what Ashling went through last night, I felt this was the least I could do.”
“And don’t think it’s not appreciated,” Ashling said, as she came into the kitchen, still wearing her pajamas, robe, and slippers.
Sean looked up and smiled since it was as rare as a full eclipse to see Ashling dressed so casually. He was impressed that she was still a rare beauty, even without the makeup and stylish clothes.
“So, what did Cassiday have to say for her no-good black-soul self?” Eamon asked.
Ashling looked up in surprise, as she loaded her plate with food, and asked, “How did you know?”
“There’s only a rare few who could pull you into outer darkness against your will,” Eamon said. “I can still feel it’s dark presence on you now.”
Ashling slowly nodded as she began eating with enthusiasm. “A fine spread you’ve laid out for breakfast, Sean. Thank you kindly, my dear,” she said sincerely.
He beamed and smiled widely at her praise. “It’s just a little something to build up your strength, Ashling. I could see from your condition last night that it had been a terrible ordeal.”
“So, what did the old crow want?” Eamon asked.
“I have to say, I did not believe she still had the power to pull me into the darkness. Truth be told, it was almost more than she could bea
r. To hold me there for a few short minutes took a terrible toll on her emaciated mind and body. Despite all of the terrible things she’s guilty of, I couldn’t help but feel some compassion for her.”
“Aye, you’re a far better person than your stubborn father, my dear child. I can find no room for anything but disgust for that one. She turned against her own family, so she did. More than a few of them were murdered in cold blood by that she-devil. No, you’ll not be seeing me shed a tear for her. Whatever pains she is suffering were brought on by her own evil deeds.”
Ashling ate heartily while she listened to her Da. When he finished, she said, “I understand how you feel, Da, I really do. I’ll not be forgetting or forgiving either, but I can still feel pity for such a wasted life.”
“Will you tell us what she wanted?” Sean asked quickly before Eamon could let loose on another tirade.
“To put both of your minds at ease, let me start by saying that I scoured her dark mind so severely that she was crying out from the pain of it,” Ashling said. “I had to know whether she was speaking the truth, and I know her words were indeed true.”
“That’s good enough for me,” Eamon said solemnly.
“Me as well,” Sean said, putting his hand over hers.
“Cassiday knows better than any of us how desperate Grainne is to destroy us. She has a plan to use that terrible ambition against her. Cassiday is also certain that Grainne won’t be able to read her real intent because such discernment can only come from the light.”
“Aye, she can read the minds of many who are not pure at heart,” Eamon said. “But it may be possible for Cassiday to hold her thoughts deep in her mind tracks where Grainne would struggle to find them.”
“That is her hope,” Ashling said. She’ll hide her true intentions under layers of bitterness and hate that she has built up over the years. We’re hoping that Grainne will not try to look beyond those thoughts and pry any deeper. To find her true intent, she would have to destroy Cassiday’s mind completely. Of course she’s more than willing to do that to get what she wants, but she’ll want to keep Cassiday alive until she believes she’s actually found Rundimahair.”
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