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Tigherna stood with Eriu on the southern slope of a green hill,
looking down at a circular cobbled courtyard in the center of which
stood a crystal fountain. Five spigots at the apex of the fountain sprayed
wide feathers of water into the large crystal basin below them. All around
them grew apple trees, dozens of them, and the sweet fragrance of their
pink blossoms permeated the air. Tigherna breathed in the scent and smiled.
"Where are we?" she asked. Eriu began to walk down toward the courtyard, motioning for Tigherna to follow her. "This is Tir Aislinn." "Tir Aislinn?" Tigherna asked, finding she had to skip in order to keep up with Eriu's long stride. Eriu turned to her and smiled, "It means 'Land of Dreams'." "Am I dreaming?" Tigherna looked around anxiously to see how real everything appeared. It seemed solid enough. Eriu didn't respond right away. She led Tigherna to the fountain and sat down on the edge, dangling her long fingers in the water. "I know you have many questions," she smiled warmly. "Why didn't I send you with the others? Why I insisted you stay with me and learn to play that whistle?" Tigherna's eyes lit up and she nodded eagerly. "Why?" Eriu's smile faded and the green of her eyes seemed to darken. The sudden change frightened Tigherna, and for a second she was afraid she had done something to make Eriu angry with her. Then Eriu spoke and her voice was tender: "The Spirit of Eire embodies the music in the hearts and souls of all my people. She expresses that music on a whistle not unlike the one I showed you earlier. When she disappeared, I thought, - no hoped,- that she had the whistle with her. But I have loyal spies among Indech's people, and they have reported to me that Indech has it." Suddenly tears filled Eriu's and began rolling down her cheeks. Tigherna's throat constricted in alarm at seeing her cry. "What's wrong?" Eriu's voice was soft as She fought for control. "That whistle is her life. Without it, she cannot live more than three days." Tigherna gasped, "Does that mean she's dead?" Eriu shook her head quickly, wiping at Her cheeks. "No. She's still alive. I don't know how, but she is, - somewhere." "How do you know?" Eriu stood up and paced slowly. "Her whistle is tied to her life: Out of her possession, she will live three days. If somehow it should break, she would die within a day." She turned to look at Tigherna with anguished eyes, "But if she died first, the whistle would break on its own." She frowned, but her expression still seemed hopeful. "As far as I have heard, the whistle is still in one piece. In Indech's possession, but unbroken." Tigherna jumped up from the rim of the fountain, "So she lives! We must find her!" "Yes." Eriu agreed, "That's why you must learn to play this." She took the beautiful silver whistle out of her pocket again. It shone brightly, dazzling in the sunlight, causing Tigherna to squint at first. Eriu held it out to her. Tigherna swallowed hard and accepted the instrument, and with it an awesome responsibility. |
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Awareness surged through Michael like a jolt of electricity.
His head spun and he was too disoriented to force his eyes open, so he
kept them closed and shuddered. That creepy prickling sensation on his
arms was back again, and there was a roaring sound from somewhere. He knew
he was upright so he tried to move, but his legs became jelly under him.
"Grab him!" Someone shouted hoarsely, and suddenly several pairs of hands gripped him as he felt himself begin to slide to the ground. "Nobody move!" the voice urged. Michael panicked and his eyes flew open. "Where am I?" He looked around at the strange, yet familiar, faces of the four people who were holding him up. "Riobeard? What are you doing here?" Concern flickered in Riobeard's eyes, and he seemed to force himself to smile, "The same thing you are, I guess. Do you think you can stand now? If not, and we're going to stay nice and cosy like this, I'd prefer to do it on some more solid ground than this!" Michael became aware that he was in the middle of a tight circle of people. Riobeard, Eirinn, Mairin and Aine all clutched together closely, holding tightly to him and each other. The reason appeared to be that they were standing on the very edge of a precipitous drop into the ocean. Actually, if they'd been half an inch more to the south, they'd be playing with the fish! The waves pounding against the rocks far below sent vibrations all the way up through the cliff that they could feel in their legs. In the sky above them, several seagulls scolded them for intruding on their nesting sites. "Don't look down!" Mairin warned, as she herself leaned slightly outward to peek at the steep drop to the ocean below. "Everybody take really slow steps away from the edge." They worked together, shuffling carefully as a body away from the precipice. Once they were a safe distance away, they collapsed onto the grass in relief. "I wonder where we are," Aine said, looking around. Michael's head was still spinning. His eyes went from one person to the next, trying to understand what had happened. "I figure we're in the south somewhere. Remember Eriu said we'd find the spear in the south?" A cool blast of salty air from the cliff drew his attention to it, and he laughed at the irony: he'd exchanged one cliff for another! Then he wondered what had happened to the others with whom he had found the cauldron. "What's that on your back?" Aine asked. "Maybe that's the spear we're looking for!" Michael moved his shoulders and felt the spear still strapped there shift a little. "No. This is just an ordinary spear, not the one we came here to find." "Where did you get that one?" Michael shook his head slightly, indicating he wasn't in the mood to talk. "It's a long story." He wasn't even quite sure what had happened himself. He needed time to sort it all out before trying to explain it to someone else. "Wow!" Riobeard said as he got to his feet. He pointed out to sea, shielding his eyes from the glare of the sun. "Look at that view!" The ocean stretched out before them like a brilliant teal mantle, edged here and there with shimmering silver trim. About a half a mile off-shore a craggy grey island rose high out of the waves like a huge stone pyramid. "It's beautiful," Eirinn sighed, "But shouldn't we start looking for that spear?" The others reluctantly agreed. It would have been lovely to just lie down on the grass, bask in the sun, and drink in the tangy sea air. But they knew that would have wasted precious time. They left the grass-topped cliff behind and travelled inland away from the coast, picking their way across a barren, treeless landscape for several hours. As they walked, half of Michael's attention was on the jokes Riobeard was telling to pass the time, and the other half was trying to make some sense of what had happened to him so far. He wondered if anyone had missed him yet. After all, he had only planned to spend a couple weeks in Ireland. Surely those two weeks were well into the past by now. He remembered with a pang of guilt the phone call he had promised to make to his parents - a call they wouldn't receive now. Would they worry about him? He didn't need to wonder very much to know the answer. Considering the circumstances, his father would probably have the local Garda out looking for him already! And what if he never made it back? What then? Who would know? - Eriu? He chuckled to himself at the thought of Her. How reliable was She at this point anyway? With her supposed powers at an all-time low, what guarantee of safety did any of them have? After all, look how accurate her transporting skills were - first he appeared in the middle of a stream, then balancing on the edge of a cliff! What if next time she caused him to appear inside solid rock? Or at the bottom of the ocean?! She definitely didn't inspire a lot of confidence!. . . And what HAD happened to the cauldron? Were Ciri and Bebhionn and Dighaine and Brid all safe? Where were they? Why had he appeared here now? Was this intentional, or another fluke in Eriu's powers? What are you thinking about?" Eirinn's voice startled Michael back to the present. She had come to walk beside him and was looking at him with a curious expression on her face. Michael shrugged. Then he told her about the cauldron, and Dagda, and Luchtigern, and then the awful plunge off the cliff. The others had stopped talking and were listening to him. As he finished he noticed the confused look of disbelief on their faces. "How is that possible?" Aine asked. "How could you have done all those things in just a few seconds?" Michael made a face. "Seconds? It took us at least three weeks to do all that! That's how I got this!" He pointed with his thumb to the spear on his back. "But we had only just left Eriu when we appeared on the cliff!" Mairin interjected. "What?!" "That's right, Michael," Riobeard agreed, "It was only a few seconds between the time we were all with Eriu at Tara and when we arrived here together." "Then how did we do all those things? "Michael was now sure he was permanently confused. Nothing would ever make sense again! "I think that somehow Eriu is able to manipulate time," Mairin said. "Huh?" She shrugged and looked apologetic. "Something like that." Eirinn was nodding in agreement, "That's probably why you were so dizzy when we got here. I know I didn't feel dizzy. I think She's shifting you all over the place!" |
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Toward late afternoon they spotted a hill in the distance.
It stood out conspicuously amid the flat surroundings. Crowning the top
of the hill was a white stone wall which shone in the sunlight. They could
just barely make out the curve of a white conical tower rising within the
circle of the wall. As they drew closer they could see a tall wooden gate
in the wall. It stood wide open, allowing the passage of people to and
from the hillfort. This is where they agreed to go. There was a bustle
of activity inside the walls. People rushed around as if they had to get
ready for something with very little time left to do it. Most of them didn't
even notice the new-comers. All the houses within the fort were newly white-washed
and almost painful to look at in the bright afternoon sunshine. Each house
sported a shaggy thatched roof, and a wooden door painted in bright blue
or red. A middle-aged woman wearing a long tan gown belted at the waist
emerged from the central tower and spotted them. She scampered over cheerfully.
"Hello! You're right on time!" "Right on time for what?" Riobeard asked her. "We don't know what you're talking about." The woman just smiled, and her apple cheeks glowed. She gestured for them to follow her, then turned and walked briskly back into the tower. "Do we go in?" Aine asked, peering around with uncertainty. "I think it's a trap!" Mairin insisted. Eirinn threw up her arms in exasperation, "Why would it be a trap? No one knows we're here! They'd have no reason to trap us!" Riobeard put his hands on his hips, "Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm hungry and I'm going in." Michael nodded and they walked to the tower together, with the others following. The inside of the tower was smoky, and smelled of baking bread. It was dark compared to the bright glare outside, and it took a couple seconds for their eyes to make the adjustment. When they did, however, Mairin's hand flew to her mouth and she gasped loudly. Everyone's eyes followed her shocked gaze. "Eewww!" Aine made a disgusted face. "That is totally gross!" Eirinn stuck out her tongue and shuddered, unable not to stare. Adorning the center of the large circular room was a tall wooden post which rose from the floor to a height of about six feet. Atop it, recently separated from the rest of its body, was a man's decapitated head. "I'm not going anywhere near that!" Eirinn insisted. Aine took a step closer and peered up at the head, examining it closely. The flesh appeared to still be soft and pink, despite the obvious lack of blood supply. "What happened to him?" "Don't touch it!" Mairin squealed. Aine gave her a scornful look. "I wasn't going to touch it! What, do you think I'm crazy?!" The woman who had invited them in strode over, her face beaming happily. "I see you're admiring Donn Bo." "Who?" "Donn Bo. He's our Oracular Head. Don't you have one?" Aine scowled, reaching up to touch her own head, "Certainly not!" The woman shrugged, "A pity. They can come in handy so often, you know. Like when you've lost something, or you need to know when something's going to happen." "Can it give information about Indech?" Michael asked. At the mention of Indech's name, the hall was suddenly quiet. Everyone turned to stare at Michael in horror. The woman's face had turned red. "Why should we want to know anything about him!" Clearly insulted, she turned her back on them and stomped away. Michael stared after her, "What did I say?" "You said 'Indech' " Riobeard told him, "It would be my guess that they don't like HIM much around here." "I think you've made them angry," Mairin murmured out of the side of her mouth. "How was I supposed to know?" Michael asked. He looked at the woman, who was obviously the Lady of this place, but she refused to meet his eyes. In fact, no one was looking at them at all. "I think you need to apologise, Michael." Eirinn suggested. He nodded and walked over to the woman, who was seated at a long wooden table. People were bringing large trenchers of food out and placing them around the table in preparation for what appeared to be a feast. Michael stopped in front of the woman, feeling a bit awkward. "I'm sorry if I upset you. I only wanted to know more about that head." The woman's eyes came up to study his face. It was evident that she was trying to determine whether or not he was being truthful. She leaned forward, "I would thank you not to mention that name here again." "What name?" Aine asked. Riobeard elbowed her, "You know what name!" Michael nodded, "I promise." There was a collective sigh and the tension that had held the room suddenly released. People chatted freely again, and the woman invited them to sit at her table. "What does an Oracular Head do?" Mairin asked when they were seated. The woman smiled. "Donn Bo's head sings to us. Sometimes it predicts the future. Sometimes it answers our questions." Eirinn had a thought, "We're looking for something," she said, "Do you think that head might be able to tell us where to find it?" The woman's expression showed that she was uncertain how to answer, that she didn't quite trust them yet. "Perhaps," she murmured. "Why don't we eat now. We'll see if Donn Bo will speak for you later." The woman then introduced herself as Muirenn, and formally welcomed them to her hall. Later, after the meal was over, and the tables cleared, Muirenn reverently approached the head on the post. With her hand, she motioned for someone to come forward. Out of the shadows stepped a tall, lanky man carrying a large harp. "This is Cas Corach," she told them, "my household bard. He will play for Donn Bo. Then we will see what happens." Cas Corach turned and looked at Michael with a curious light in his dark eyes. He bowed, never taking his gaze off Michael, then sat carefully on a chair and placed his harp in his lap. Michael felt a shiver run up his spine as Cas Corach's fingers began caressing the strings of his harp, quietly and gently at first, but then with more authority. As his music filled the room, another sound began. It sounded like a low droning, as if the wind howled through loose boards on the outside of the building. But it wasn't the wind. "Look!" Riobeard leaned toward Michael and whispered, pointing to the head on the post. Michael stared in fascination. Donn Bo's eyes had opened, and the droning was coming from his dead mouth. Muirenn signalled for Cas Corach to stop playing his harp, and the hall was abruptly silent, except for the eerie moaning of Donn Bo's head. Then, even the head was silent, but its wide black eyes continued to stare straight ahead. "Can we ask it our question?" Michael asked Muirenn. Eirinn nudged him, then pulled him aside. "How can we ask it without everyone here finding out what we're looking for?" she whispered. Muirenn turned away from the head and gestured for Michael to approach it. "You can try asking your questions. There's no telling whether he will answer or not. Sometimes he just hums or sings." "No problem," Michael murmured softly as he nodded to Muirenn. He looked out of the corner of his eye at Eirinn and winked, then stood in front of the head and addressed it loudly, "Donn Bo, we are looking for . . ." But before he could finish the sentence, the head started moaning loudly again. The volume grew increasingly louder until it was so loud they had to cover their ears, then it decrescendoed to almost a mumble. "Was that his answer?" Mairin cried, "Are we supposed to understand what he's saying?" Muirenn waved her question away, "Wait." Suddenly, Donn Bo's eyes slowly lowered until he was looking directly at Michael. Then the dead lips moved and his voice was a whisper, "Seek the sons of Tuireann. Only they know how to find what you seek." Muirenn's eyes were full of surprise, "What are you looking for?" Michael watched Donn Bo's eyes slide closed, then turned his attention to Muirenn. "I'm afraid we're unable to tell you that, but we do appreciate your help. Where can we find these sons of Tuireann?" Muirenn shrugged, indicating she hadn't a clue. She searched the hall to see if anyone else might offer information. Cas Corach set his harp down and walked over to them. "I know of them." He looked thoughtfully at Michael and the others, "They are criminals - murderers. They travel the country doing penance for the heinous crime they committed. Aine's eyes lit up with interest. "What did they do?" "The three sons of Tuireann murdered one of Eriu's champions named Cian mac Chainte by stoning him to death. Then they tried to hide their evil deed by burying the body, but the earth itself cried out and revealed his grave, as well as who had done the deed. As punishment, they are forced to travel the land collecting nine objects as they go." "Kind of like what we're doing," Eirinn stated. "Perhaps," Cas Corach said with a slight smile, "But their tasks are next to impossible. Even so, they will not have served their penance until they have accomplished each task successfully." "It's an odd punishment," Mairin said, "Why did they get that?" "The alternative was execution," Cas Corach explained. Michael sighed, "I hope what we're looking for isn't as impossible to find as what the sons of Tuireann are looking for." "Are these sons of Tuireann with You-Know-Who?---I can't say his name here, remember?" Riobeard asked. Cas Corach shook his head. "No. The families of Cian and Tuireann had been feuding for years. When the Unnameable Person began invading this land, Cian set out to gather reinforcements and urge others to join the fight. The sons of Tuireann, coming upon him, took advantage of his being alone and ambushed him." There was a long pause, then Aine said, "They sound like pleasant people. Any chance you might know where we can find these guys?" Cas Corach lifted an eyebrow at her sarcasm. "I might. News of their quest travels quickly among the bards. Each time they accomplish a new task, word spreads. Last I heard, they were going after a puppy not far from here." Eirinn burst out laughing, "A puppy?! What's so impossible about getting a puppy?" Cas Corach looked annoyed with her ignorance, "The puppy they seek is no ordinary dog. It is a hunting dog which can catch any wild animal it sees. It's owner prizes it highly, and will not easily part with it." Michael suddenly had an idea. He motioned for the others to join him in a huddle, across the hall away from eavesdropping ears. He looked into their questioning eyes and whispered, "What if we help them get this puppy? Maybe in exchange they'll tell us where to find the spear!" He raised his eyes briefly to look over at Muirenn and saw her exchange glances with the bard. It was obvious they were curious about what Michael and the others were after. "What do you think?" Riobeard nodded, "Why not?" Mairin and Eirinn agreed. Aine didn't answer at first, she just stared doubtfully at Michael. He looked back at her expectantly. "Well?" The eagerness she saw in his eyes made it impossible to say no. "Okay," she sighed, "How hard can it be to get a puppy?" Michael grinned appreciatively, remembering everything he had gone through to find the cauldron, and decided not to answer that question.  |
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