The Celtic Symbol

by V M Jones

  “That’s a great synopsis, Liam,” said Dr. Ryan as he contemplated everything that had happened.

  Father Fahey nodded in agreement.

  “It seems that someone or something has been waiting for us each time we have entered the castle,” added Dr. Ryan somberly.

  “Even though getting Tevan back is our main objective, we cannot ignore King Dubhshlaine and Faelan,” said Dr. McNamara voicing his concern.

  “We’ve got to do something before they attack someone else in the living world,” said Father Fahey as he pounded his fist in his hand. “From what we experienced in the castle today, we have to do whatever it takes to keep them from being able to come back to our world.”

  “There are really only two options available to us from what I can figure,” said Dr. McNamara as he leaned forward in his chair. “In discussing some of the issues with Father Fahey and Father O’Brian, it seems that one option is to bring the condemned souls out of the netherworld where they will cross over into the afterlife.”

  Father Fahey and Father O’Brian nodded with approval.

  “Once out of limbo, the souls will pass on to the afterlife to be rewarded or punished according to their deeds,” said Father Fahey gesturing with his hand.

  “The other option is to re-seal the castle,” continued Dr. McNamara.

  “Since we have a digital copy of the original curse from the old manuscript, we can re-attach the metal symbol that was removed and seal the castle back up with the ancient curse,” said Dr. Ryan as he nodded his head.

  “I have studied old Gaelic,” said Father O’Brian anxious to help. “I’m sure that I can recite the old curse to seal up the castle and its occupants once again.”

  Everyone sat and thought for a moment.

  “I think we should keep both options open,” said Dr. Ryan as he contemplated possible outcomes. “Let’s get the mapping of the castle done. Dr. McNamara and Father Fahey should accompany me back into the castle in the morning to finish recording the northwest tower. However, tonight Dr. McNamara and his team need to finish their work on the portal generator.”

  Everyone nodded in agreement.

  “I’ve been working hard the past couple of days while all of you have been playing down in the castle. I have re-tested the generator, the control board, and the connections to the mesh wiring of the portal pieces. I also completed making the three EMP devices for the diversion needed when you enter the netherworld,” reported Brody proud of his accomplishments.

  “Thank you Brody,” said Dr. McNamara with a nod.

  “Once the portal is complete, Dr. McNamara, Father Fahey, and I will pass through the portal into the netherworld and search for Tevan,” said Dr. Ryan as he rubbed his hands together. “We will need to find Prince Nuallan and get him to help us fight our way back through the castle and to the portal. We can offer them freedom from the netherworld. Maybe with the prince’s help, we can lure the king, the witch, and their army into the portal as well so they will pass on to the afterlife.”

  “And if they refuse to come through the portal?” asked Father Fahey with concern.

  “Then we re-seal the castle with the metal protective symbol and have Father O’Brian recite the curse,” responded Dr. McNamara emphatically.

  “That sounds fine,” said Father O’Brian, “But what happens if someone else removes the seal again?”

  “That’s a big problem,” commented Father Fahey raising his eyebrows.

  “A problem we cannot live with,” interjected Dr. McNamara shaking his head.

  “If we fail to bring the king’s group back through the portal, then we’ll have to do the same thing that the old priest from the Cahir Abbey did centuries before. We have to conceal the existence of the castle. We have to bury any trace of it,” said Dr. Ryan as he sat up straight.

  “Right now only a few even know of its existence,” said Dr. McNamara.

  “Anyone who knows could be sworn to secrecy,” suggested Brody.

  “Aye but sometime in the future there may be others curious enough to discover it again,” replied Dr. McNamara with a frown.

  “So what do we do?” asked Father O’Brian shrugging his shoulders.

  “We’re going to have to make it appear that the area is so bad no one will want to come,” said Father Fahey rubbing his chin.

  “How do we do that?” asked Brody.

  “To make it work we are going to have to fabricate some kind of natural or man-made disaster that will render the area too dangerous to visit,” said Dr. Ryan as he crossed his arms.

  “But that means the Murphy family will have to go along with the deception. And that means that they’ll have to give up their home and their inheritance here in the mountain,” observed Dr. McNamara with concern on his face.

  “Unfortunately, it’s the only thing we can do to keep it believable,” said Dr. Ryan shrugging his shoulders.

  “Then we better not fail,” said Father Fahey somberly.

  Dr. Ryan, Dr. McNamara, and the two clerics met with Patrick and Ansley to tell them of their plans.

  “What we’re asking you to do is a great sacrifice, but we cannot let King Dubhshlaine and Faelan escape the netherworld or ever have contact with the living world,” said Dr. McNamara softly.

  “We must contain their works of evil at all cost,” added Father Fahey a bit more animated.

  Patrick looked over at Ansley then back at the group and said, “If we get Tevan back, nothing else matters.”

  Ansley pushed back her tears and nodded in agreement. “I cannot raise my family in such a place.”

  Dr. Ryan looked at the couple and quietly said, “There is a chance that neither I nor Tevan may get back in time before the lunar eclipse ends. To stop King Dubhshlaine and the witch Faelan, we must seal up the castle before the end of the lunar eclipse. If we don’t, we’re not sure of the consequences that may follow.”

  Tears flowed down Ansley’s face. She could not bear the thought of having her son condemned to the netherworld. Patrick held her tightly to his chest.

  “When you’re ready to enter the portal to the netherworld, I’ll be coming with you,” said Patrick, “I can’t sit here any longer and not do what I can to rescue my boy. There’s no arguing with me.”

  Dr. Ryan and Dr. McNamara looked at Patrick and looked at each other.

  “We’ll talk about the details later, but for now we have to complete the mapping of the castle. The exploration of the castle is best left to us,” said Dr. Ryan pointing to himself and Dr. McNamara.

  Now that Aine had been injured, she would not be coming with them on the next exploration the following day. Dr. McNamara would be monitoring their journey with the IPP equipment. Dr. Ryan would be carrying the digital DRD to do the final mapping of the northwest tower. Father Fahey would be carrying three EMP devices prepared by Brody that would be placed in the three other corner towers. These would be remote detonated to create the diversion needed to open the portal to the netherworld.

  It was early morning. The sun was peaking over the eastern horizon. The three explorers stood at the top of the tower and looked down at the old wooden door separating them from the entrance to the castle. All three wanted to get the mapping done but were not anxious to go back down and deal with the dark creature.

  “Ready for another adventure?” asked Father Fahey of the other two trying to lighten things up.

  “As ready as I can be,” replied Dr. McNamara giving him a nod.

  Dr. Ryan took a deep breath and pulled open the door. He stepped into the tower and into the darkness followed by Dr. McNamara and Father Fahey. Brody handed them their equipment. They made their way down the tower stairs to the storage room at the bottom. Dr. Ryan handed out the surgical masks to the other two as he adjusted his own.

  “Hopefully this will be the last trip before we go to the netherworld,” said Dr. Ryan with a sigh.

  The air in the castle seemed very cold. They noticed that several orbs were floating
in the room near them as soon as they had entered the storage room. As they made their way into the gathering area of the troops, the orbs seemed to surround them. They made their way through the room and were careful not to touch or kick anything. They reached the doorway into the kitchen. Dr. McNamara poked his head through the doorway and looked around the room with the light from his torch on his hat.

  “Looks clear,” reported Dr. McNamara to the others. They all entered the kitchen followed by the orbs. They carefully stepped around the debris on the floor and made their way to the well room where the northwest tower was located.

  “Should we map the tower now or plant the EMP diversionary devices in the other two towers first?” asked Dr. McNamara.

  “Let’s set up the EMP devices first and get them set in case we have another encounter and have to leave,” replied Dr. Ryan as he turned and moved forward.

  The trio carefully stepped onto the thin layer of water on the floor from the well and made their way to the large doors of the great hall. Dr. Ryan carefully poked his head through and surveyed the room.

  “Let’s move,” he told the others cautiously.

  The group crossed through the large hall and made their way to the small hallway and the other end. They entered the small room where the southwest tower was.

  Father Fahey removed one of the EMP devices from his backpack and handed it to Dr. McNamara. He looked at the stairway leading up to the southwest tower.

  “I’m glad we don’t have to go back to the witch’s room,” he told the others with a grateful look.

  “So am I,” replied Dr. McNamara as he turned the device over.

  He flipped the switch which opened the electric current from the battery to the EMP device. A light on the device came on.

  “Its set,” he said as he placed the device near the base of the tower.

  “Good, let’s get moving,” said Dr. Ryan anxious to get done.

  He led the group into the chapel from the room. As they passed through the chapel, Father Fahey looked up at the burnt cross. It seemed to give him more strength.

  The group passed through the doorway into the barracks. They carefully maneuvered around the debris along the floor to the door at the other end of the room. They squeezed past the door into the supply room that housed the southeast tower.

  Father Fahey took out another EMP device and handed it to Dr. McNamara. He flipped the switch turning on the device and bent down and placed the device near the stairway.

  “Two down, one to go,” remarked Father Fahey as Dr. McNamara stood up.

  “Let’s make our way back,” suggested Dr. Ryan as he turned to go.

  They retraced their steps through the supply room and made their way back into the barracks. They hurried through the rooms to get out of this part of the castle as quickly as they could. They made their way through the chapel room and into the small room next to the southeast tower. Dr. Ryan led them north through the small hallway and peered into the great hall before entering.

  “It’s clear,” he said as he quickly entered the room.

  They followed him into the room. They made their way across the large room and to the door of the well room. The temperature of the room was cold as it had been on previous trips due to the presence of the floating orbs that had accompanied them in this journey.

  “On our way back through the rest of the castle, let’s make a mental note of where some shields and swords are,” commented Dr. McNamara. “We might be able to get a few of them and bring them to Prince Nuallan, if he is willing to help.”

  “Good idea,” agreed Dr. Ryan given him a thumbs up.

  Father Fahey nodded in agreement.

  “Prince Nuallan could be a big help in rescuing Tevan,” added Dr. McNamara quietly.

  Father Fahey reached into his backpack and retrieved the last EMP device and handed it to Dr. McNamara. He turned on the device and made sure the light was on indicating that it was operational. He leaned down and placed it next to the stairway but up on a higher piece of stone as the floor was wet.

  The three stood and faced the stairway of the northwest tower.

  “This is the last piece of the puzzle,” remarked Dr. Ryan as he looked up the stairway.

  “Let’s finish this,” added Dr. McNamara as he rubbed his hands together.

  Dr. Ryan turned and went up the steps followed by Father Fahey and Dr. McNamara. They made their way to the top of the tower and into the tower room. It was a bedroom of sorts with a couple of cots, two tables and chairs and a couple of old trunks.

  “This is likely where the cooks slept,” remarked Dr. Ryan contemplating the location of the tower next to the kitchen.

  He reached to the side of the backpack and flipped on the switch to the digital DRD. He walked to the center of the room and began recording.

  After a few minutes he turned to the group and said, “Let’s get going.”

  They were all anxious to finish the mapping of this tower and get back outside. Dr. Ryan led the team down to the middle tower room. It also appeared to be a dormitory of some kind for the kitchen workers as well. Dr. Ryan made his recordings and turned to leave the room as the others followed.

  They made their way down the stairs to the bottom tower room. It appeared to be used as a storage room for the kitchen as it had decayed fragments of rope hanging from the wall that once held meats and provisions. Dr. Ryan quickly recorded the room and then left. The others followed him into the well room.

  “Finally, were done. Let’s get out of here,” said Dr. McNamara turning to leave.

  “Not so fast,” said Dr. Ryan holding up his hand. “There seems to be a room below the kitchen floor. Remember the stairs went down as well,” he reminded Dr. McNamara.

  “Just wishful thinking,” replied Dr. McNamara with a sigh.

  Father Fahey was apprehensive as he turned and faced the stairway leading down to the lower level.

  “What might be down there?” asked Father Fahey with a worried look.

  “It’s probably just a storage facility for the kitchen. It would be cooler down underground to store items,” replied Dr. Ryan confidently.

  “I hope so,” added Dr. McNamara also showing concern.

  Suddenly the room became very cold. Several orbs seemed to rush to the archway in front of the stairs as if to block the way.

  “What’s going on?” asked Father Fahey looking bewildered.

  “I’m not sure but it seems like the orbs are trying to stop us from going down the stairs,” replied Dr. McNamara as he stepped back.

  That comment made all three men feel very uneasy. The three moved single file down to the lower level led by Dr. Ryan followed by Father Fahey and Dr. McNamara in the rear. They moved carefully down the wet steps to avoid slipping. They noticed that the orbs did not follow them.

  “Where did the orbs go?” asked Father Fahey as he looked around.

  “Not sure,” replied Dr. McNamara also looking around as he carefully descended the stairs.

  The fact that the orbs didn’t follow them only added to their nervousness.

  As they reached the bottom of the stairs, they stood in a shallow puddle of water. They noticed that the water drained in the corner of the room where there seemed to be a crack in the solid stone face.

  “There seems to be a fissure in the rock here,” said Dr. Ryan pointing to the crack. “Imagine how much water there would be down here if it wasn’t draining back into the mountain.”

  It was a small room at the bottom of the stairs. There was a wooden bench and table. Iron shackles were rusting on the floor. To the left of the room was a small hallway that led further back. The group could see that the room and hallway had been hewn out of rock.

  “This may have been a storage room at one time but it has definitely been re-arranged to be another dungeon,” remarked Dr. Ryan as he surveyed the room.

  He recorded the small room and then moved to the hallway. As they shone their lights from the torches on
their hats they could see a wooden door at the end of the hallway indicating that there was another room.

  Along the hallway corridor were three metal doors. As they peered into the first room they could see the remains of two poor souls still attached to the dungeon wall. Dr. McNamara and Father Fahey pushed open the metal door of the first room allowing Dr. Ryan to enter. He went to the center of the room and recorded.

  He stepped out of the room and stood in front of the second metal door. The other two men pushed with all their might until the metal door finally gave way. Dr. Ryan entered the room followed by the others. The room was about the same size as the first room. There were chains along the north wall but no skeletons in the room. Along the west wall was another cell door.

  “This cell seems to be designated for important prisoners. It has an inner cell,” he said pointing to the inner door.

  He finished recording the room.

  “Liam could you and Father Fahey open this inner door?” asked Dr. Ryan as he stood back to give them room.

  The two obediently did as they were told. They had a little trouble getting the door to open but were successful on the second attempt.

  “Strange that this cell has an inner cell,” remarked Dr. McNamara as Dr. Ryan recorded the room.

  The group exited the room and made their way to the outer door. Dr. Ryan peered out into the corridor then stepped out. The others followed him into the small corridor.

  The group moved to the third cell door. Father Fahey and Dr. McNamara pushed up against the door and forced it open. It was a smaller cell but had a table in the center of the room. It also had chains attached to the wall but the chains were longer to allow the prisoner more movement. Dr. Ryan moved toward the center of the room and began recording.

  A strange feeling overcame Father Fahey as he entered the room. He closed his eyes for a few moments then opened them.