by A. S. Koutso
The rest of the night was spent in silence, there was enough tension in the air for the dead to feel. The leaves began to change colors, and you could feel the chilly winter winds rolling over the mountains.
“Do you think it snows up here?” I asked
“Yes, I believe it does. I don’t remember it clearly but one year we came up here during the cold season and the mountain tops were frosted over. It was quite beautiful.”
“I’ve never seen snow before. I had met some travelers who told me stories.”
“Maybe one day you will be able to feel a snowflake melt on the tip of your finger, but I think it's time for bed. We have an early start in the morning, we should rest while we can.”
“Alright, sweet dreams Orla.”
“And you as well Ash.”
I turned on my side facing away from her.
Something was off with her. I couldn't tell what, but she wasn't acting the same at all, and making a blood oath? Like was that necessary? Obviously, I would protect her.
I shut my eyes hoping her attitude would change in the morning. Perhaps she was just worried about crossing into another kingdom.
It wasn't long before I dozed off. My mind was blank until I heard a whisper in my ear.
“Aisling… Aisling, come play.”
I opened my eyes to see a white terrain surrounding me.
I looked around to find myself in an open plain covered in what I could only assume to be snow. A deep breath confirmed it, my lungs grew cold and the little hairs in my nose stuck together, I could see my breath puffing from my lips.
Out of nowhere a large white ball came flying toward me and smacked me in the face. It exploded on impact and the pieces fell to the floor. I could hear giggling from a distance, but I couldn't figure out where it was coming from.
“Overhear Aisling”
“Come find us!”
Voices of children rang in my ears.
Another ball hurtled toward me, this time I saw it in time. I moved quickly to the side thinking I would be able to dodge it. A cold chill ran down my spine as the ball hit me. I look back to see where it could have gone then realized I wasn't me. I was Aisling. The snowball stuck my wings that were spread behind me. Now knowing this was a dream I couldn't figure out how I had full control of my body.
“I got her!”
Two small children came running out of the forest surrounding the plain. Their skin was tinted green and their wings looked as if they were made of wood, they had small antlers sprouting from the tops of their heads and their ears were long and pointed.
“Aisling, it's your turn. We each tagged you once. Now you have to tag us!” The girl Fae said as they ran up to me
Confused what they could be I asked
“You must have really got me. Can I ask, what kind of Fae are you?”
“Wow Kianise, you really got her good!” The little girl looked to the boy amazed
“That's right, Cyrilla. I knocked her brains out!” He replied flexing his tiny arms
They both looked at me and laughed
“We’re dryads silly.” Kianise explained
“You're supposed to be helping our elders clear the sick trees, remember?” Cyrilla asked
“Of course I remember, I was only joking.” I said bending over to form a snowball in my hand.
“See, I lured you in so I could have a better shot.”
I threw the snowball at the little girl gently.
“Hey! No fair!” They shouted and flew over toward the woods.
I formed another snowball and followed, gaining speed with each flap of my wing. I was just about to catch up when a chill hit my body. I woke up and rolled over. Orla was packing up her bag.
“About time. We really should be getting on our way now.” She said without evening seeing that I was awake
“Orla, I had a dream.”
“Oh! It's been a while hasn’t it?”
“Yes. I think it's because I’ve been too tired after all that training.”
“Well was it anything important? What did you see?”
“It was nothing really. Just a couple of kids throwing snowballs at me.”
“Kids? Like human or Fae?”
“They were dryads.”
“The tree folk? Green with wings and horns?”
“Ya, exactly. Except I wouldn't say horns. More like a deer, like antlers.”
“Did they tell you anything important? About the past or future?”
“No. We just played. Well it was me in Aislings body. It was a little strange.”
“I wonder why that was what came to you.”
“Maybe it’s because I was thinking about snow all day.”
“That could be how it works actually, have you controlled what you dream of before?”
“No. Not really. They usually just happen, then again a lot of my dreams have stemmed from my emotions.”
“We will need to practice that then.”
“Ok but for now we should really start heading out.”
“I agree, I think we should make our way down through the farming village, there didn't seem to be any guards down there.”
“Let's get to it then,”
Orla doused the remains of the coals just to be sure and we headed down the mountain.
Smoke was engulfing the town. We could see the flames from the foothills of the mountain. We ran down to see where the fire was coming from. The sun had yet to fully rise making it harder to see with all the smoke in the air.
“The tavern” Orla shouted, pointing to the building,
Flames were consuming the entrance. I didn’t know if anyone was in there, but I panicked. Rushing through the flames I began calling out.
“Is anyone in here?”
I heard coughing coming from behind the bar. I jumped over to see a little girl curled up in a ball covered in soot and ash.
“Please help me. I don't want to die.” she cried out, as she looked up at me with black tears rolling down her face.
“Don't worry. I won’t let that happen. I need you to close your eyes for me ok. Don’t look until I tell you.”
She nodded and did as she was told.
I let my mind be consumed with rage and activated my warrior script. Hoping I could control the fire at least long enough to get her out safely. I felt the vines slither up my cheek. It was working, I could feel the energy building up in my fingertips.
A cracking sound came from the ceiling. I looked up to see the flames devouring the wood forcing it to fall around us. No time to waste. I calmed my mind and pulled the energy in from my fingertips. The flames were being dragged toward me. I have never controlled that much fire, so a fear came over me of being burned. The fire was released back into the air and I lost the energy. I had to get over the fear before it got any worse.
“Please! I’m scared Miss! What do I do?” The girl cried
“Just keep your eyes shut. Think of something that makes you happy! I’ll have you out of here in no time. Promise.”
I had to help her. I couldn't let her burn in here. The vines were crawling down my face, but I couldn't let them leave. Not yet. I let out a scream and pulled in as much rage as I could. My fingers were burning but I couldn't stop. The flames were climbing up my arms. I had to redirect it somewhere, I didn’t know how to extinguish it. I knew there was a well out back, but I had no time to waste running over there. The ceiling was seconds from falling onto the girl. I couldn’t let them go; it would make it worse. I had to consume them; it was the only way to get her out safely. I calmed my mind and felt the fire burning the top layer of my skin. I had this feeling I’ve done this before. I knew what to do. I had to let out all my energy at once. Allowing my powers to eat the flames. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, channeling everything I had. On my exhale I released it. A glow of gold rushed out of my body.
The flames disappeared. My body was left empty, I could barely stand. Darkness consumed my vision, and my feet grew n
umb. The last thing I felt was my body slam against the ground. I could hear Orla shouting. The little girl was coughing but I couldn't open my eyes. I kept hoping Orla would run in and take the girl before the building came crashing down on her. Before I lost consciousness, I prayed to Goddess Danu to save her.
I found myself lying on the cold soil right outside of the farming village. No one was around me; my mind was still foggy on how I got here. A memory flashed in my head of the girl behind the bar. I panicked, I had to find her. If I was safe, she had to be too, right?
“Orla!” I shouted, while looking around to see where she could be.
My lungs were weak from the smoke. I couldn’t stop myself from hacking up dark grey mucus. It was useless to shout, my voice isn't strong enough, she would never hear me over all the commotion in town.
I made my way back to the village slowly, my body still in agonizing pain. It felt as if every cell in my body was worn out. My limbs were numb, and my head was pounding. I drew my sword from its scabbard to use as a walking stick. I wasn't strong enough to walk on my own. I needed to heal, but Orla never taught me the incantation for lost energy.
Ash still raining from the sky, as people were scattered through-out the town, putting out individual fires that had spread from the tavern. The children were all huddled together, trying to keep out of the way. Orla was still out of sight; my concern was less about that and more about the little girl. She wasn’t with the other children.
“Oh my! Are you alright?” A woman asked
“Yes, I’ll be fine. Have you seen my friend? Her name is Orla. She has blond hair; I think it was braided to the side. She's about my height. She's wearing a white blouse and black leggings.”
The woman pondered for a moment
“Yes. I believe the woman you’re describing is back at the doctor's house. She was with a little girl. Could that be her?”
“Yes! Can you show me where it is?”
“No, I’m sorry I can't leave the children unattended.”
“That's alright I understand. Could you point me in the right direction? I’m sure I could find it.”
“Of course…”
A young boy tugged on the woman's dress
“Mrs. Brady, I can show her.”
“I don’t know darling; your father is working and may not want to be disturbed.”
“It's ok, I can come right back here. Promise.”
Hesitantly she agreed.
“But Hamish, I’m serious. You come straight back here. No dilly dallying. Got it?”
“Yes Mrs. Brady”
The boy put his arm around my back trying his best to help me walk.
“Don’t worry Miss, it’s not too far from here.”
“Well thank you. You are quite the gentleman.”
He puffed out his chest and tried to support my weight.
“Can I ask you a question Miss?”
“Of course you can.”
“Are you a warrior?”
“What makes you think that?”
“Well you have a big sword, and you seem really strong.”
“You are very observant.”
He looked up at me with a grin.
“When I grow up, I’m going to be a doctor just like father. He saves everyone.”
“Well then, I’ll be sure to come to you when I need fixing.”
“I’ll even marry a beautiful girl, just like my Mum. She will make all my patience a nice yummy treat while they wait. Don’t worry though, I’ll make sure yours is extra yummy.”
“Thank you very much Hamish. You are such a kind young man.”
Orla was standing by the door of the doctors’ house when I arrived.
“Thank you, Hamish. You better get back to Mrs. Brady now before she worries.”
“Yes Miss.” He nodded and made his way back to the children.
Orla ran over to me as soon as the boy left
“What are you doing here? I took you out of the town so no one would suspect it was you. Its too dangerous here. If anyone even suspects it was Fae magic that put out the fire they will come after us, and you are in no condition to fight Ash. I’m actually not even sure how you’re walking right now.”
“Where’s the girl?”
With a sigh she replied
“She’s in with the village doctor, she will be fine. Just a little smoke in her lungs and a lot of shock. Now we need to leave. Ok?”
“Yes, I think that would be best.”
“I will heal you once we get far enough from the village.”
She rapped her arm around my back and lifted mine up over her head to support me.
We began to walk away when the sound of a door slamming behind us caught our attention.
“Wait.” The girl shouted, trying to catch up to us
I turned to see her running toward me with her arms wide open. She fell into me caressing my leg.
“Thank you, Miss. You saved my life.”
“Of course child.” I replied hugging her back with one arm
“Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me.” She whispered under her breath before heading back into the doctor’s house.
With that we headed off toward the path that led to the next town. Orla supporting me the best she could.
Chapter 15
Darkness was interrupted by the flashing of the sun peeking through the shaking leaves. I tried to shut my eyes harder, but the light was penetrating my lids.
“Rest Ash, you need it badly.”
“Yes, I’m fully aware of that. Could you please tell the sun? I don’t think it got the memo.”
“If you have the energy to joke around, you can surely walk.” Orla snapped back
“Did I do something that offended you? You’ve been snarky since we left. Actually, since we made that blood oath.”
A sigh slid through her lips
“Yes, you’re right. I have been snappy, it’s not you though. I promise. I’m just a little nervous. I’ve never crossed into Offaly without my father, and now theres a head-hunter looking for us. Its all a bit much.”
“You’re not wrong. I know I’m much stronger now, thanks to you might I add; but still I fear the day I come across Cillian. I see him in my dreams Orla. He was part of my past. I don’t know how. He is human, isn’t he?”
“From what I know yes. His mother was a human though I never met his father, I believe he is a bastard.”
“So, could it be possible that he’s Fae?”
“No, well I don’t think so anyway. My mother always suspected that his father was a palace guard. His mother was all too friendly with a couple of them.”
“Well, that would make sense then.”
“We really should get going. Do you have the strength?”
“No, not really. My legs are still very shaky. Do you think you could heal me again?”
“I can try, it’s awfully hard when we aren’t on enchanted ground. There is no magic I can pull from here, but I will try my best.”
Orla sat on the ground beside me and held my hand as she began the incantation.
In the name of the great goddess Airmend I beg you bless her with your godly powers, bless her body, bless her soul. Bring back to her what she has lost. Lend her your energies so she can heal. In the name of the goddess Airmend bless her.
A glowing droplet fell onto my forehead. My body absorbed the energy from within it as it disappeared.
Already I felt ten times better. My legs were back to normal and my headache was dissipating.
“Thank you Orla. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“Don’t worry, It’s my job.”
A pain hit my soul when she said that. My mind flashed back to when Cara was fleeing Dunamase castle. I’m sure Orla had nothing to do with that but was I putting my trust in her too easily? Should I first consult with Cara about what happened that night?
“Ready to go?” Orla asked, pulling me back to reality
Hesitantly
I got up
“Are you ok Ash?”
“Yes. I’m fine.”
“I just confided in you, please tell me what’s on your mind. Maybe I can help.”
We started walking back down the path in silence, I wasn’t sure if I should tell her what I saw. I wanted to ask her if she knew anything about it but at the same time, I feared the answer.
“Orla, has your father ever mentioned me or Cara before?”
“No, honestly he was pretty secretive about the Fae world. He trained me so that one day I could rule Laois, but I never took it too seriously, and he never told me personal stories really. Why?”
“No reason.”
“Did he know you?”
“No, not really anyway. I saw a memory of me as an infant at Dunamase castle. That’s all.”
“Ok. Was I in it?” she asked excitedly.
“No, sorry.”
“That’s ok. Would have been cool though”
“Actually, you go on ahead. I just need a minute to rest. My leg is cramping.”
“Do you need me to stay with you? I don’t mind.”
“No, it’s alright. Its better if you go ahead anyway.”
“Alright.” She replied hesitantly.
