Cliodhna and the others stand around the sobbing Brianna in shock at what has just happened to Atepa. When Cliodhna is able to think again, she crouches down next to Brianna and puts her arm around her, letting Brianna's sobs turn to quiet crying. "Don't worry, Brianna. He said he'll return, an' I don't think he would just say that. Do you know how long these harrowin' last then?"
Brianna shook her head. "No, I've never had one, myself."
Cliodhna thinks for a moment. "Can ye search the Shadowlands for his presence?"
Brianna thinks for a moment and then her face brightens. "Yes I can!" Brianna closes her eyes and concentrates for a minute, but then shakes her head and opens her eyes. "He's not in the Shadowlands.
"Well then, we'll give it a while-- harrowin's may take some time." Cliodhna helps Brianna to her feet and then looks around at her cohort-members. Her eyes fall on Benwa-Bob-- the newest member-- and she feels a pang of guilt at how bossy and abrupt she'd been with him earlier, and approaches him with her hand extended to shake. Benwa looks at her questioningly, and then shakes her hand firmly. She apologizes for how pushy she may have come across when she told him to go join the cohort, and hopes she didn't offend him. But Benwa is a cheerful, good-natured sort of person, and assures her that he wasn't offended.
The group takes turns introducing themselves to him, and then Cliodhna asks Benwa about his training with the Doomslayers. He says that he's only done a little training with them, but his main focus was working with the Shih, or demon-slayers in the Jadian tongue. The group listens with great interest to his tales, and instantly take a liking to their new cohort-member. Benwa seems to be a little self-conscious about his height and eager to prove his fighting-skills to them. Cliodhna asks him what his fighting-specialty is, and he says melee-fighting, so Cliodhna files this information away for future battles.
Ray and Jonny start searching the battlefield for soldiers they can heal or help in some way, and Brianna and Cliodhna continue talking to Benwa. Then Cliodhna feels a hand on her shoulder and turns. It's a messenger, and he tells Cliodhna that the governor requests her and her cohort to come to his office. Cliodhna smiles and tells him that they will come right away. Her Shadow starts cheering in her head, telling her that at last she will get what she deserves and be promoted! Cliodhna wonders why this pleases the Shadow and tries to silence It, but It only gets louder and even starts singing! She grabs Jonny and Ray-- who haven't gotten too far-- and the cohort follows the messenger to Paul's office.
When they enter Paul's office, he greets them warmly and with a big smile. He tells them what an incredible job they did, and how thankful and impressed he is. He then asks Cliodhna to give him her mask, and a thrill of excitement races through her as she removes her mask and hands it to him. He takes the centurion mask, and hands her a marshall mask, telling her "congratulations marshall!" Cliodhna can hardly catch her breath she's so overjoyed, so she puts a fist over her chest and bows low to Paul-- as she'd seen Memnon do to Ahuru earlier-- and when she can speak she thanks him from the bottom of her heart. Paul announces that the cohort will need to choose who the centurion will be, and informs them that their pay will now be raised to 5 obeli a week�which makes Ray very happy!
Now that the pleasantries are over, Paul asks Cliodhna if she's still very friendly with the Italians, and when she answers that she is, he tells the cohort that he wants them to escort him to the Renegades so he can speak with them. Cliodhna smiles and nods approvingly, but the others seem concerned for the governor's safely more than how momentous the occasion is. They ask him if he's sure he wants to do this, and he says that he doesn't think that he's in any real danger. They can see that he's determined and can't be talked out of this, so they agree to take him there immediately. Then Cliodhna thinks of Memnon on the battlefield, and asks Paul if they can make a quick detour to pick up the last member of their cohort, and Paul says that will be fine.
Once back to the battlefield, Cliodhna locates Memnon easily�not many Wraiths are that size, nor that scantily dressed! They greet each other warmly, and something prompts her to glance down his body�and then her face turns beet-red and she feels herself flushing hot. Memnon has�suddenly gotten�his�he has gotten very physically pleased to see her, apparently! Her eyes fly up to look at his face, and he is smiling at her, his eyes full of lust and desire! Her mouth drops open and she blinks, and then suddenly his face has completely changed and he's looking at her inquisitively. She quickly glances down his body again, and�things are back to normal. What just happened?? Then she hears her Shadow cackling and feels rage starting up in her. Shadow!!
But it's too late-- now she's all stuttery and nervous again, damn it! She keeps her eyes off his face so she can get control of herself again-- stupid Shadow to do that NOW of all times with the governor right behind her!!! She tells Memnon that the governor has asked their cohort to escort him into Renegade territory so he can speak with the Renegade leaders, and Memnon nods and falls in behind the governor. Oh she's going to get that Shadow! And she has plenty of obeli now! She wishes Memnon would walk beside her, but at this point it's probably best that he stays in back. Cliodhna closes her eyes, exhales, and then the group resumes their journey.
The cohort escorts Paul safely to Lucky's, and when they approach the men sitting outside, Cliodhna introduces them to the governor. They're quite friendly with him-- much to everyone's relief-- and tell him that if Claudia speaks for him, then they trust him. Cliodhna feels some weight of responsibility at those words, but knows she has nothing to worry about. The governor looks at her questioningly after she's addressed as "Claudia," and she shrugs and says that the men have given her that as her Italian name. Fat Tony speaks up and says, "Yeah, we didn't think "Cliodhna" fit her." They continue into the restaurant where Lucky is sitting. Cliodhna directs Paul to sit in the chair directly opposite Lucky, and she and the group stand around the table waiting to hear what they should do. The governor asks them to wait outside, and when Lucky gives his OK, then the group walks back outside.
The men are playing a game of cards, and obeli are on the table. Fat Tony asks the group if they'd like to join the game, and Jonny and Benwa agree while the rest say they'll just watch. Cliodhna is pretty sure that no one will be able to beat Fat Tony�and unfortunately (or maybe fortunately!) she's right. Soon both Jonny and Benwa are out some obeli and decline when asked if they want to continue playing. Cliodhna takes this opportunity to introduce the men to Memnon-- explaining that she and he were childhood friends in life-- and the men are "pleased to meet a childhood friend of Claudia's!"
About that time the governor and Lucky come out laughing together, and everyone stands in respect for them. The group hears the two men mention something about moving Lucky's oven, and Paul promising that the Italians will be under his protection, but they don't get anything else out of either of them. Cliodhna's very pleased that everyones' getting along so well�and then Paul announces that based on this reaction, he'd like to try his luck with the John Collins gang.
The cohort-- slightly encouraged by how well things are going so far-- agree to take the governor there, but warn him that he won't be received in a friendly way. Paul doesn't care-- he still wants to try. As they're walking, Cliodhna suggests that they shouldn't go in wearing soul-forged items�maybe it will help relations if they don't�so Benwa volunteers to stay behind and hold all their items. The group disarms and hands their weapons and things to Benwa, and then enter Irish territory.
The Renegades-- immediately upon seeing the group-- are hostile and mocking. When Paul requests to speak with John Collins, the guards tell him that Collins won't want to speak with him�but Paul is welcome to come inside, they sneer. Something in their tone suggests that if Paul goes in, he definitely won't come back out, so Paul-- in an impressive display of command-- somehow talks the guards into bringing Collins out to speak with him. After a moment John Collins emerges and approaches Paul. Paul begins a friendly approach with an offer of bettering relations and protection, but Collins bats all the offers and good intentions down, refusing to discuss anything with Paul as long as he permits souls to be forged. Paul explains that if they don't forge the souls, Oblivion will become stronger and harder to fight, but Collins tells them that he was once on a drone-train and he won't accept any excuses. He then bids them good-bye-- with the threat that if they EVER come back again they will be attacked on sight-- and starts walking back to his building.
Cliodhna can't stand this-- were she and her men of the IRA this stubborn and ignorant?? Her grandfather had informed her a few days ago when she'd been visiting her fetter that the British Government and Irish Protestants had been desperately trying to conduct peace-talks over the past 20 years with the IRA, but always in the middle of the proceedings the IRA would blow something up or resume the fighting. He couldn't understand why�how the leaders could be so stupid! He figured that the IRA didn't really want the fighting to stop�that they had been fighting for so long that they wouldn't know what to do with their lives if there was suddenly peace. Cliodhna couldn't believe this! Back when she was in a position of leadership, everyone understood the IRA's goals and ideals! She and the Garou in the IRA had made it understood that once there was finally peace and independence from the British Government, the Irish Republican Army really could become the official Irish Republican Army! Gaia willing, they wouldn't need to fight anymore, but their new united country would still need protection and leadership! How could anyone be so stupid as to not understand, or want this??
Cliodhna watches John Collins' back, and suddenly all her frustration boils over. She walks up to him quickly, calling his name, and he turns around and asks her what she wants. She berates him for being so stubborn, telling him that he's making a fool out of their people. She tells him how stubborn men like him just want to keep relations bad with the larger power-- never truly wanting peace and harmony with them. Ray walks up beside Cliodhna and joins in the debate, but nothing they say makes a dent in Collin's resolve, and at last Cliodhna has to admit defeat and re-join her group in silent rage. And just after they make it out of Irish territory and join back up with Benwa with their items, the frustration overwhelms her and Cliodhna feels herself blanking out. She stops walking and everyone looks at her in concern, although she can no longer sense them�she has just begun a harrowing for her passion to help the IRA/hinder the British Government�
Cliodhna blinks, and suddenly she's standing in Belfast, Northern Ireland walking around with her mother. It looks so real-- she feels like she's really there!! She notices a schoolbus filled with children on their way home from school. It stops at a light, and just then a man carrying something big in his arms runs towards the bus. Cliodhna feels her stomach clench-- this routine looks familiar. The man forces his way into the bus, activates the bomb he's holding, and he and the bus explode in flames. Cliodhna screams for help and starts running towards the bus, but people are already running over from everywhere. She hears the sound of squealing tires, and sees a black car peel out and take off. She starts running after the car, but soon realizes that she can't follow it, so she changes course and starts running for the IRA headquarters.
Suddenly everything goes black again, and then she's standing in the Blue Moon Tavern-- a bag slung over her shoulder-- and she appears to have just entered through the front door. She also realizes that she's about 19 years old and is coming home to visit from college. "College? I went to college?" she ponders in the back of her mind, but then the thought vanishes when she's greeted with a big cheer from the people in the bar-- it's her mother and grandparents, Sanki, Two-Feathers, and�a younger Memnon! She runs up and hugs her mother and grandparents, and then Sanki and Two-Feathers stand and come over to hug her. She greets them with great excitement, and then everyone steps back and she finds herself looking very shyly at Memnon.
Memnon comes over and gives her a hug, and she can't seem to stop blushing and giggling! She asks him, "is this little Memnon?" and all the adults start grinning and whispering together, and she hears her mother and Sanki saying something about what a cute couple they make, and wouldn't it be wonderful if they were to get married? Cliodhna looks down and flushes an even deeper red, and then looks back up at Memnon, and he looks down at her smiling. "He's SO very handsome!!" she thinks to herself, sighing, but she's so very shy! Luckily Memnon's not shy, and tells her that he would like to take her out tonight-- would she like to go out to dinner with him? She feels her heart beating very fast in her chest with the excitement, but as she's about to answer him, the phone rings. Amber answers it, and then holds it out to Cliodhna, telling her it's for her. Cliodhna apologizes to Memnon and says she'll be right back, and then takes the phone from her mother.
A low, quiet voice on the other end asks her if she remembers The Meeting tonight, and she feels her spirits sink. A secret IRA-supporters meeting and she'd forgotten all about it�why did it have to be tonight?? She tells them that her family has visitors in from out of town who she hasn't seen in years, and could they go on without her? The voice grows angry and tells her that she's letting everyone down...she HAS to be there. The voice tells her that he needs her answer now-- is she coming? She looks at Memnon across the room and SO BADLY wants to tell the man on the phone to go screw himself, but she knows she can't. She replies curtly that she'll be there, and hangs up.
Cliodhna walks back to Memnon-- apologizing for the call-- and smiles up at him brightly, saying that she would LOVE to go out with him�in fact, they should leave right now! Memnon smiles happily at her, and the two go out to a quick dinner together. She tells him repeatedly how very sorry she is that she has to go to the meeting, but that she'll be home soon and they can continue their talking then. Memnon is very understanding and agrees to this, and then suddenly everything goes black once again.
Now Cliodhna is standing in a modestly-furnished living room�and there's Memnon kneeling on the floor playing with�the�children. THEIR children. The watching-part of Cliodhna wants to sob, but the acting-self doesn't find anything out of the ordinary. She now knows that she and Memnon are married, and they have two little boys�the younger one scooting around on his hands and knees. Cliodhna watches the scene with great contentment�and then that bloody phone rings again. The watching-part of Cliodhna screams at her not to answer it, but the acting-part walks over and picks up the phone.
Another low, gravelly voice greets her ears, and this time it's angry right from the start. The man confronts her about her choice to leave the IRA, get married, and start a family. They tell her that she can NEVER leave the IRA, and they have another mission for her. Cliodhna hisses that she's done with it-- they don't need her, anyway. The man chuckles and tells her that she should reconsider�after all�they DO know where her older son goes to school. Cliodhna cries out "bastard!!" full of dread and fury, and then she hears Memnon's voice calling, "You've got to get in here Cliodhna-- the baby's taking his first step!"
"Ye should also know that a car is coming ta pick ye up right now. If ye refuse to go with them, they'll kill your family, and then you. If ye decide ta come with them, ye can never return ta yer family." Then there's a clicking sound and the phone goes dead.
Cliodhna drops the phone and runs into the living room. "Memnon-- that was someone from the IRA...quick! You an' the children must get into the cellar and lock yerselves in now!" Her face is desperate and panicked, so Memnon follows his first instinct and grabs the two boys up in his arms.
"What do you mean, Clee-- what's going on?" he asks, following her to the cellar steps and down into the cellar.
"They're furious at me fer leavin', an' they've threatened ta kill ye an' the babes if I don't go with them...but I will not go with them, Mem. I will kill them."
Memnon's eyes flare with rage and he has to keep himself from Changing. He smiles a murderous grin. "Great idea, and I'm coming with you." As the two of them talk to their children and calm them the best they can before locking them in, Cliodhna realizes that in her panic she'd forgotten that she's married to a man who has the potential to become a 12-foot monster!
As they pass by the cupboard where they've hidden their weapons, Cliodhna grabs her familiar Mac-10 machine gun. They stand one on each side of the front door, and when the black car turns into the driveway, they walk out the front door together.
Everything seems to go in slow motion. The passenger gets out of the car as Memnon Changes into his Crinos-form and Cliodhna pulls the machine gun out from under her black leather trenchcoat and sprays passenger, car, and driver with bullets. Rage...rage...rage...and then blackness again.
Cliodhna blinks and feels herself sway, about to lose her balance and fall, but Brianna grabs her arm and steadies her. Cliodhna notices that everyone's staring at her, and she holds her head and apologizes, telling them that she was just so frustrated and upset with John Collins' response that she had almost lost control of herself. She whispers to Brianna, "how long was I just standin' there lookin' like a fool?" and Brianna tells her only a few seconds. Cliodhna exhales in relief, and apologizes again. She tells everyone that she's ready to go, and the group starts heading back to the Twin Towers.
She's quiet most of the way there-- the effects of everything she saw in the harrowing have impacted her very hard...especially the time she "spent" with Memnon. She has new feelings about him-- much the same way a person does when they awaken from a realistic dream-- and almost sees Memnon as that husband from the past, although she knows they were never married, nor could ever have children now. She yearns to reach out to him and ask if they could ever have been that married couple in life-- to see if somehow he feels what she's feeling...somehow-- but knows he couldn't have shared the vision she just received, and would probably think she was crazy or obsessed with him. She feels like she could be both, about now. But she's confused about one thing, so she changes her direction so she's walking next to Memnon.
"Memnon�do ye remember us meetin' at all between when we were 2 years old an' now? Like when we were 19?" Memnon's eyes grow unfocused as he thinks for a moment.
"Hmmm�it's possible. My parents came out to visit your mother one year and brought me along, but I don't remember much about that." Cliodhna thinks hard, but she can't remember anything, either. Oh well. She was probably off fighting with the Cairn, or something. She continues to ponder this as they walk back to Paul's office in the Twin Towers.
As they enter the room, Paul's eyes narrow. There's a man standing there looking like he owns the place. Paul asks him who is he and what he's doing there, and the man introduces himself as an emissary from the Smiling Lord. Paul asks him why the Smiling Lord has sent an emissary, and the man responds gravely that the Smiling Lord wants those who are responsibly for the Amenti attacks to be punished�er, brought to Stygia. Paul looks the man square in the face and tells him no way. The man then informs Paul that the Smiling Lord has found Charon's items and declared himself emperor. The man insists that Paul obey the Smiling Lord's orders. Paul's eyes blaze with determination and he tells the emissary to go back to the "Emperor" and tell him that they will not send any New York citizens to him to be prosecuted�because New York is declaring its independence!
The room grows deathly silent for a moment as everyone-- emissary and cohort, both-- stare at Paul with mouths agape. But Paul doesn't let the momentum of this announcement die out. He turns to Cliodhna and orders her and her cohort to return to the army and bolster the front. The emissary huffs and stammers and finally shouts that he's returning to the Smiling Lord with this news immediately, and turns on his heel and leaves. Cliodhna and the cohort follow shortly after him.
Down on the battlefield, Cliodhna hurries from commander to commander, issuing Paul's order that the front be bolstered. Just as she's finishing, Paul flies onto the battlefield and up to the top of a nearby building to the cheers of the soldiers. Cliodhna can see that the emissary hasn't quite left yet-- he apparently wants to hear what Paul has to say so he can report that back to his lord, as well. Paul raises his arms and the crowd quiets. He shouts that the Smiling Lord is holding New York citizens responsible for the Amenti attacks on Stygia, and has ordered the people responsible to be brought to him. Paul retorts that this is illegal and is NOT Charon's will. He continues that the Smiling Lord has declared himself to be emperor in Charon's place, so New York is declaring its independence.
The crowd begins to murmur to one another nervously. Paul continues that they do not need Stygia. Stygia takes taxes from them and makes their rules, but has no direct affect on the people of New York. Why be ruled over by a tyrrant madman?? Why give their money to a kingdom a week's sail away? People start yelling out their agreements with Paul, and the morale of the soldiers begins to lift. Paul continues his motivating speech, urging everyone to remember the city they love, and be willing to fight-- even die-- for her in order to win independence. He says that he would understand if anyone wanted to leave, and then waits to see how many people start to file away. No one does. The people of New York have-- as a whole-- chosen to support Paul's brave declaration!
Cliodhna listens to the speech with a sinking stomach. HOW are they going to win this war-- if, indeed, Stygia decides to declare war?? They are as good as Renegades now�no longer part of the Hierarchy! Cliodhna laughs ironically to herself as she realizes that her death is mirroring her life, and here she is a part of the leadership again! But still�she doesn't know if they stand a chance. When Paul finishes speaking and flies down to join the cohort on the ground to the thunderous cheers of the army, Cliodhna leans in and says in a low voice, "Are ye doin' this because ye've been thinkin' o' doing it all along, or because yer protectin' us? Because the needs o' the many outweight the�" Paul cuts her off.
"Don't feel guilty, Cliodhna, this has nothing to do with you and your cohort. The Smiling Lord is insane, and was planning on declaring himself emperor before all the troubles with the Amenti ever began. He's just looking for an excuse to wield his power." Cliodhna nods, thinking that Paul is exactly right. "Now I have an important mission for you all," he says looking at the group with worried eyes. "We're going to need help and support if Stygia declares war on us. I would like you to return to each of the Dark Kingdoms and ask for their support in establishing our independence. Their aid is going to prove vital in how the tide turns." Cliodhna and the cohort accepts this mission, bows before Paul, and immediately begins their rounds to each of the Dark Territories.
After they decide to go to Swar first-- it being their most friendly supporter of all the territories-- Cliodhna suddenly realizes that they've neglected to choose the new cohort centurian. She looks from Jonny to Benwa to Ray, waiting for one to volunteer, but they all seem intimidated by the prospect. Jonny starts making some nervous jokes about how the chicks would dig him as a centurion, but it's finally Ray who steps forward and says he will be centurion. Cliodhna asks if the others will support this, and everyone swears that they will accept Ray as the new centurion. Cliodhna grins and pulls her old mask out from inside her long jacket and hands it to Ray, then claps him on the back and says, "Congratulations, Centurion!" Everyone else congratulates Ray, and soon afterwards they continue on their way to Swar.