Hero's Song

by Edith Pattou

  "How did you live?"

  "There was food left for me at the back of the cave—salted meats and hard biscuits. And there was the spring with an occasional fish I caught with a spear I made out of driftwood. But the food ran out some time ago, and there haven't been many fish..." Her voice trailed off, then she fixed her eyes on Collun. "Why did she bring me here?"

  Collun picked up the dagger. He told Nessa about the Cailceadon Lir. "Medb had you kidnapped believing you might have it, or at least would know where it was. When Bricriu told her you did not have the stone and would not tell him of your family and home, she had you brought to Scath. Then she sent the morg Urlacan after me, keeping you here as bait just in case Urlacan was to fail."

  Nessa absorbed the information in silence.

  "The wizard Crann also wondered if Medb thought to use us to flush out our father," Collun added.

  "Our father? Why should she care about Goban?"

  "Not Goban," Collun said softly, and then he told Nessa everything. He told her of their true father and of the chalcedony that had been passed down through Cuillean's family. Nessa listened quietly, shaking her head in wonder. She wept when she heard Emer had died, and for the first time since hearing of his mother's death, Collun was able to let his own unshed tears fall.

  Then Nessa wanted to hear more of Collun's journey, but before he could begin, Brie interrupted. There was a note of suppressed excitement to her voice.

  "I had forgotten all about it until now," she said, reaching into a pocket, "but I found this caught in a fold of your tunic after you killed the Wurme."

  Collun took the object she handed him with an instinctive twitch of revulsion. It was a stone, covered with the oily black fluid that had gushed from the Firewurme's eye. Then he remembered the sharp object that had struck him on the forehead just before he lost consciousness. He rubbed the stone, and as the oily fluid came off he saw a glint of blue. His heartbeat quickened. Using the corner of his jersey, he began rubbing harder. When he was finished, a dull blue-gray stone lay in his palm. With trembling hand, Collun reached for his dagger. Though slightly larger and rougher, this stone was the mirror image of the one embedded in the handle.

  Collun looked up at Brie. Her eyes were bright. "When I heard Nessa say the queen had put her hand into the Wurme's mouth, I wondered."

  "Then," Collun said slowly, "the Firewurme was guardian not only of Nessa but of Queen Medb's shard of the Cailceadon Lir as well."

  A silence filled the small cave as the realization of what they had found sunk in. If they could carry the stone out of Scath and to Temair, Medb would have lost both the Firewurme and the chalcedony. And perhaps then Eirren would be safe.

  TWENTY-SIX

  Wurme-killer

  "We must leave here," Collun said. "Now."

  Brie shook her head. "You are not ready to travel. The burns—"

  "It doesn't matter. She will come for us. She may even be on her way."

  "Surely Medb could not yet know about the Firewurme."

  "We can't be certain," Collun argued. "She has many spies. Or she may even have felt it when the Wurme died. She has great powers."

  Nessa's eyes had grown wide and staring. She was again clenching and unclenching her hands. "Medb come here?" she said in a whisper. "We must escape. We must get away!" The girl's voice was edged with hysteria.

  Brie looked from brother to sister and shook her head. "We can try," she said finally.

  They quickly prepared to depart. Collun placed the cailceadon shard in his wallet of herbs. Brie used up the last of the mallow making a large batch of the burn paste. Then she hastened to the entrance of the cave to call for Fiain. The Ellyl horse was already heading toward them.

  But halfway there, Fiain slowed. He came to a stop and lifted his head into the air.

  "Something is wrong," Brie said uneasily.

  Then they all heard it. The familiar, unmistakable caw.

  "What is it?" Nessa whispered in fear.

  "A scald-crow. One of Medb's spies," answered Collun.

  Brie crouched low, carefully peering out.

  "There are three of them. They are circling the Wurme. Like vultures," she said.

  The cries became louder.

  "They have spotted Fiain," Brie told them. Collun let out a sound and tried to get to his feet. But he fell back, his face white with pain.

  "One of the birds is splitting off, heading south."

  "To Rathcroghan and its queen," said Collun grimly. "And Fiain?"

  "Another is flying after him, but Fiain is too fast for it. He is heading south. I can barely see him now. I do not see the third bird anywhere." She scanned the sky for several moments, then crossed to Collun with a look of concern.

  There was a sudden whirring of wings and a rush of cold air. In the dim light of the cave Collun could see only the bloodred eyes of the scald-crow as it bore down on him.

  He grabbed his dagger with his unburnt hand and flattened himself against the wall of the cave. The bird rushed by within a fingernail of his scalp.

  The scald-crow circled and dived again. Collun's blade made an arc in the air. The Cailceadon Lir glowed. There came a keening scream and then a thud as the bird hit the ground. A thin stream of blood spilled from the scald-crow's torn breast.

  Collun let go of the dagger. He was trembling violently. Nessa cried without a sound, and a pale-faced Brie stared down at the fallen bird.

  Then they heard hooves on rock, and Fiain appeared in the entrance to the cave. The Ellyl horse was breathing hard and frothing at the corners of his mouth. There was no sign of the scald-crow that had been following him.

  Brie and Nessa quickly helped Collun onto Fiain, and with Nessa mounted behind her brother and Brie holding fast to her, they left the cave.

  As they passed the head of the dead Firewurme, Collun stared with a sick fascination, unable to believe he had actually killed such a vast and evil creature.

  A deep rumble of thunder echoed across the small island, and when Fiain's hooves splashed into the causeway, an ear-numbing crack split the darkening sky. Fiain broke into a gallop, sending up sheets of water that soaked them through.

  By the time the Ellyl horse reached the mainland, the darkness had thickened around them. Rattling cracks of thunder continued to follow close upon each other, but there was no lightning and no rain. Fiain sped along the banks of the River Omagh, and Brie had to cling tightly to Nessa's back to keep from falling off.

  When the Isle of Thule was well behind them, Fiain slowed his pace. Collun sank onto the horse's neck, his mind numbed by pain. But when he felt Fiain's thoughts probing into his, he urged him to continue on.

  The sky grew so dark it was difficult to tell exactly when night fell. They couldn't see the moon or a single star.

  When they came to the abandoned hut by the river, where Collun and Brie had sheltered during the snowstorm, they finally halted. Collun was barely conscious.

  "We will stop here," said Brie.

  Collun let out a thin moan as they helped him to dismount. "Medb...," he muttered.

  "We need rest," Brie responded.

  Inside the hut they shared Mealladh's apple, then slept for an hour. Fiain kept watch outside.

  Before they set out again, Brie touched Collun's forehead with her hand.

  "You are burning."

  Collun shook his head. "We must keep going."

  They rode on. A gray, feeble dawn came, and over the course of the day the darkness did finally dissipate. That night they could see a few stars and the sliver of a new moon.

  Collun remained conscious as they traveled on, but he did not seem to hear when they spoke to him. His body pulsed with pain, and it was difficult not to scream at every step Fiain took.

  Not long after nightfall they came to one of the deserted Scathian villages Collun and Brie had passed through before.

  Brie called out for Fiain to stop. She and Nessa again helped Collun to dismount. The only sign that he was c
onscious was his open eyes.

  Brie and Nessa went around the empty village gathering kindling. Then Brie went off, bow in hand, and Nessa set about making a fire, with Collun slumped beside her. Fiain struck off on his own, in search of something to eat.

  It was a relief to be still, Collun thought as he watched Nessa's clumsy attempts to kindle a flame. Moving carefully, Collun extracted one of the last of the lasan sticks from his jersey pocket. He rubbed it across the rough surface of a rock and handed it to Nessa, who took it gratefully.

  In the brief flaring of light from the lasan, Collun thought he saw a movement in the shadows of the deserted buildings. He leaned forward, body tense, and tried to focus on the spot.

  "What is it?" Nessa asked.

  Collun didn't answer but continued to stare until his eyes felt hot and strained. He did not see it again.

  Brother and sister waited by the fire. Collun dozed.

  He came awake with a start. Nessa was asleep beside him. The fire had burned down to a handful of pale orange-gray embers. Collun moved stiffly, suppressing a moan. Where was Brie? And Fiain? The darkness pressed around them.

  Suddenly he heard a hissing sound. It didn't come from the fire but from somewhere out in the darkness.

  "Brie?" he called faintly. Nessa woke with a start. Several moments passed. And then it came again. A distinct, sibilant noise. Nessa clutched Collun's arm.

  "Morgs," Collun whispered in dread. Then the clouds covering the new moon moved away and they could see.

  There were dozens of them. Shrouded in their cloaks, the morgs looked like ghosts standing among the shadowed, deserted buildings.

  Nessa let out a cry. Brie was being led toward them, a morg on either side of her. There was blood on the side of her face. In her hand she carried the two halves of her broken bow.

  There were morgs all around them now. Collun barely had time to pull himself to his feet before they were on him. His arms were wrenched behind his back, and he could not restrain a scream as rope bit into his mangled wrist and arm.

  Collun, Brie, and Nessa were quickly and tightly bound. The morg that seemed to be the leader bent over Collun. His yellow eyes rested on the dagger sheathed at Collun's waist. The morg grabbed it and held up the blade triumphantly. A wave of horror washed over Collun.

  The sky had lightened almost imperceptibly. Dawn was approaching. The morg quickly stowed the dagger in the folds of his cloak. Then he began searching through Collun's clothing.

  "Hurry. The sun comes," hissed the morg beside him.

  The first morg's hand came upon Collun's wallet of herbs, and eagerly he began to unfasten it.

  Suddenly there came a noise in the near distance.

  "What is that?" the morg said, whipping his hooded face around.

  "Horses," said the second morg.

  And as the sun blinked on the horizon, Fiain galloped into the deserted village. Behind him was a phalanx of Eirrenian soldiers on horseback.

  The morg leader grabbed the wallet of herbs, breaking the cord around Collun's neck. He called out to the others, and the creatures scattered, fleeing in all directions. Collun watched in dismay as the morg carrying his dagger and wallet of herbs darted away, disappearing between the ruined buildings.

  Fiain let out a whinny and went in pursuit. Collun heard the morg's voice cry out, but suddenly a morg with an arrow in its breast fell heavily on him, crushing his burnt arm. He let out a cry and almost lost consciousness. When his head cleared, he discovered his vision was blocked by the morg's cloak.

  Collun heaved his torso, trying in vain to move the inert body off him, but the motion was agonizing. All he could do was lie still and listen to the sounds of battle all around him—screams and grunts, metal clashing against metal. It was impossible to tell at first which way the battle was leaning, but gradually he thought the Eirrenians' voices began to take on a note of triumph.

  Abruptly he felt the morg's body being pulled off him, and he was looking into the flushed and smiling face of a young dark-haired man. The youth bore a faint resemblance to Prince Gwynedd, and when he spoke the voice was almost identical.

  "Are you hurt?"

  Collun flinched as the youth began freeing him from his bonds.

  "Burns," explained Collun in a husky voice. He slowly got to his feet. Nessa and Brie were approaching, accompanied by two Eirrenian soldiers.

  "Nessa?!" said the young man who resembled Prince Gwynedd. "I cannot believe my eyes."

  "Prince Kellean," Nessa responded in wonder. "Collun, Brie, this is Kellean, eldest of the king's sons."

  But Kellean had shifted his gaze and was staring intently at Collun. "Is it possible? Are you ... the son of Cuillean?"

  Collun nodded.

  "Well met," said the prince with a broad smile. "Rumors were flying at the battlefront that the hero Cuillean had a son who lived and who would appear at the eleventh hour and turn the tide of the war. I confess I thought it superstitious nonsense. Though as it turned out, we needed no—"

  Just then Fiain appeared. The Ellyl horse whickered, and slowly Collun crossed to him. Fiain led Collun through the deserted village to the body of a fallen morg.

  Collun leaned down and turned the body over. There, clutched in the morg's three fingers, was Collun's dagger and wallet of herbs.

  "Thank you, Fiain," Collun said quietly. He retrieved the items, giving an involuntary shudder as he brushed the clammy gray skin. He returned to the others.

  Kellean was still speaking. "...After the invasion collapsed and Medb's forces had scattered, my father sent a squad of us west along the border to be sure all was indeed secure. We came across an Ellyl horse. He seemed to want us to follow him, so we did."

  "Medb's invasion ... collapsed?" asked Collun in amazement.

  "Yes. It happened when the darkness and the thunder came. We couldn't believe it at first."

  Brie and Collun looked at each other.

  The prince continued. "Medb's invasion was like an evil tide when it first began. There were thousands upon thousands of Scathians and morgs, all armed to the teeth and deadlier than any soldiers I have ever seen. They kept pushing southward. Our casualties were enormous. Even when reinforcements arrived, including a large army of Ellylon, it still looked hopeless.

  "Then on the eve of the fourth day of fighting, the Scathian army faltered, becoming disorganized and uncertain. And when the thunder and the thick black clouds came, making night out of day, the Scathian army simply turned and fled. There was no explanation for their flight. It was not the retreat of a defeated army, for they had clearly held the upper hand until the darkness came. My father said it was as though someone was calling them home.

  "We tried to get answers out of the few enemy soldiers we had captured and those too wounded to follow the rest. But the soldiers with weapons killed themselves before we could stop them, and the others refused to speak." The prince shook his head, his face clouded.

  "The darkness came when we left Thule with Medb's chalcedony," said Collun.

  "Chalcedony?"

  "Yes. The Cailceadon Lir," Collun said. And with help from Brie and Nessa, he told the prince all that had befallen them, ending with the discovery of Medb's shard of the cailceadon.

  When Collun had finished, the prince gave a low whistle. "I see now. Once Medb learned she had lost both Cailceadon Lir and Wurme, she knew she no longer had the power to conquer Eirren. And so she summoned her army home." Prince Kellean put a hand on Collun's shoulder.

  "It appears the rumors were true. As your father, Cuillean, saved our country fifteen years ago, so have you saved us, Collun, Wurme-killer."

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  Cuillean's Dun

  It took them ten days to travel to Temair. When they entered the gates, Collun was astonished to see that the streets were lined with Eirrenians and that there were as many calling out for "Wurme-killer" and "son of Cuillean" as there were for Prince Kellean.

  By the time they'd made their way to the
royal dun, a large throng had gathered at the gates to greet them. Collun quickly spotted Talisen among the crowd, with Silien close behind him.

  Collun winced as Talisen enfolded him in an enthusiastic bear hug. There was time only for quick greetings and introductions between Nessa and Silien before Queen Aine whisked Collun, Brie, and Nessa off to the court healers.

  The healers were gentle and thorough. They tended to Brie's burnt hands and Nessa's exhaustion and malnourishment, then sent both of them directly to bed. Collun had to stay for several days in the healers' hushed and darkened quarters. They had been impressed by the properties of the mallow salve and told Collun he was lucky not to have lost his arm altogether. They said he would bear faint scars for the rest of his life, but otherwise he could expect to be back to normal in a month or two.

  Collun received visits from his friends, from Nessa, and from his aunt Fial, now recovered from her illness.

  The afternoon the court healers released him, Collun received word that his presence was requested by the king and queen. Quince guided him to the king's quarters.

  Collun was greeted warmly by Queen Aine and King Gwynn, who bade him join them at a table that was laden with food for the afternoon meal. Collun felt shy as he seated himself. The room was drenched in light, bringing out the vivid colors in the many tapestries and murals that decorated the walls.

  Queen Aine filled Collun's plate with smoked capon, a mound of crisp runner beans, a creamy cheese tart, and a mouthwatering honey bun. Collun grasped his fork, his head swimming slightly. Since the blizzard he had eaten little. His stomach rumbled loudly and Collun flushed, certain the king and queen could hear it.

  But Aine smiled at him, inquired after his health, and asked him to tell them all that had befallen him. "We have heard bits and pieces," she said, "but we would like to hear it in your own words. If you are up to it," she added kindly.

  At first Collun's speech faltered, but gradually he relaxed, and between mouthfuls of the delicious food, he told them everything. He apologized to Aine for keeping from her the truth about Emer. She told him she understood, although it had been a shock to her when Silien had told her of Collun's true identity.