“Did you know what a Protector was, Sabd?” Brendan asked.
“Of course. I even met him once,” Sabd said with a laugh.
“Wait, what? Met him? Met who?”
“Why Arawn, obviously,” Sabd said in all seriousness. “The very first Protector of Earth, but he was given god status and awarded an entire realm of his own. That ruffled a lot of feathers.”
“Arawn!” Brendan said a little too loudly and regretted the echoes that repeated his word.
Sabd’s ears perked as he listened for noises throughout the maze of caverns. Everything remained placid. “That’s what I told Airmid as well. I reminded her that Arawn had already been to Otherworld and she shook her head and spouted what I thought was rubbish about a different Protector. It never occurred to me that Arawn would have left a bloodline inheritance on Earth.”
Brendan sat back and shook his head in shock. I’m a descendent of Arawn? Unreal! He sat up a little straighter and thought about the reason he and Dorian had come to Brugh. “Sabd, I don’t think meeting you was a coincidence.”
“Neither do I, young Protector.”
“We need you to take us to the cave you were talking about—the Sidhe cave. Can you do that?” Brendan requested.
Sabd nodded. “But I must warn you, that cave has been tainted by Elathan with the blood of my people. That is where he transformed my body into this hooved form. Only evil resides there now.”
…
Lizzie could feel the wind rush past her face as her body was thrust through the air, wrapped in a blanket of fog that wouldn’t dissipate. Although none of her companions were speaking, she knew they were near her. A weird comforting something was with them as well, even if she didn’t know what or who it was. In Otherworld, one could never tell.
They traveled for what seemed like both an eternity and a blink of an eye before they came to a stop. The fog drifted away and Lizzie looked up at the bewildered expressions that her dad and Garnash carried. Frank and Rohl were coming to after being rendered unconscious by Lir, both groggy and both a little angry about the whole encounter.
“My head feels like I was smacked with a garbage truck,” Frank observed. “Anyone have any aspirin?”
“Forget the aspirin; I need a pint!” Rohl added.
“Knock it off, Rohl,” Garnash said as he helped the Púca to his feet. “We don’t have time for jokes.”
“Who’s joking?” Rohl wondered as he rubbed a knot on his head.
“Where do you think we are, Dad?” Lizzie asked as she looked around. “And how did we get here?”
It was an odd location. The air was relatively clear where they stood, but the solid footing they enjoyed butted up against a bog with an absurdly thick fog that hung above it. She could hear things moving about out in the water.
“I’ve been here before,” Oscar answered. He looked down and walked around scanning the ground until he spotted a small dark red patch in the packed dirt.
Frank knelt down and examined the patch. “Blood?”
Oscar nodded. “Lir’s. I took it from him to make him the Watcher. The dominion pulse was in that swamp, but I don’t know if it’s in there any longer.”
“Can’t you still sense it, Oscar?” Garnash asked.
Oscar turned and faced the bog and tried fruitlessly to pierce the wall of fog. He closed his eyes and tried to listen, but all he could hear was the subtle sounds of something moving in the water. When he opened his eyes, he saw two dark outlines standing just on the other side of the fog.
“We have company,” he warned the others.
Lizzie turned to face the newcomers as her purple energy staff came to life in her hands and energy sparked in her eyes. “Who’s there?”
Garnash, Frank, Rohl, and Oscar stood at the ready. The two figures remained still behind the veil; their feet shifted softly causing the water to make delicate noises.
“You are safe,” a deep, growling voice declared from the bog with a struggle.
“Says who?” Rohl asked.
The figures were silent for a moment before a pale, bony hand exited the wall of fog and pointed a pale finger at Oscar. “You we’ve seen before.”
Oscar began to sweat. He never considered the multitude of beings that his actions—albeit not under his total control—could have affected. His shoulders slumped and his head bowed. “Yes, and I am truly sorry for my actions.”
“The Protector saw,” the figure stated flatly.
“Who? Brendan? Brendan was here?” Lizzie asked in confusion.
“Wait a minute,” Frank interjected. “Where is here and how did we escape Lir?”
“You are at the Swamp of Demise.”
“Swamp of Demise? Not too many parties happening here, I’ll bet,” Rohl quipped.
“And how did we get here?” Frank asked for a second time.
The bony finger pointed to its left and the heroes all turned to look. At first there was nothing, but then a small tuft of cloud broke away from the wall of fog over the water. It floated gently at first, swirling and turning in on itself until a clear visage of a dog was standing before them.
“A dog saved us?” Frank inquired.
“Ki du,” the figure corrected.
Oscar felt like he had seen about everything up to that point, and he shouldn’t have been surprised to see a dog poof out of the fog, but what really shocked him was his familiarity with the creature. He approached it slowly and then knelt down to get a better look at the dog’s face. It was there in the canine’s eyes that Oscar recognized him.
“Ruger? Is that—is that you?” Oscar asked excitedly.
The dog’s tail whipped back in forth in excitement trailing off wisps of fog as the Rottweiler leapt up and used its ghostly tongue to lick Oscar’s face. Oscar rubbed the dog’s coat.
“Dad, do you know this… dog?” Lizzie wanted to know.
Oscar turned to face her as tears were moistening his eyes. “This is my dog, Lizzie. This is my Ruger!”
“I never knew that you had a dog.”
“Conchar must have suppressed my memory of him.” He closed his eyes and tried to think, wishing all of his memories would just flow back into his mind, but they were slippery and would only offer flashes: being in the car with his parents, political celebrations and fundraisers, Angie’s black 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429—Angie. Really he could never forget the mother of his children taken from him in that car crash… car crash?
“This Ki du is not alone,” the figure behind the fog proclaimed. “Another human roams Tech Duinn, and she is in danger.”
“She?” Oscar repeated, a new hope rising in his mind. Oscar reached out and rubbed Ruger behind the ears. “Ruger, can you take me to her?”
Ruger wagged his tail and his body expanded once again into a cloud form to engulf Oscar, Lizzie, Frank, Rohl, and Garnash. Before they knew it, they were on the move again.
…
Dorian, Brendan, and Sabd walked in silence for most stretches as they navigated the catacombs of Brugh. They stopped and hid several times as dragons slunk by and disappeared down darkened tunnels. Sabd wanted to draw zero attention and implored Brendan and Dorian not to engage the dragons. It wasn’t hard to convince them.
“The Sidhe cave is up ahead, but again, I warn you that it is overrun with evil,” Sabd cautioned.
Brendan stepped in front of the group and held his hand out to stop them from going in. “Let me go first.”
No one objected. He stepped forward and stuck his head into the cave. Since he couldn’t see that well with his eyes, he reached out with his mind and scanned the room. Nothing.
He reached into his pocket and pulled a glow root out and tapped it. It glowed brightly enough to move the shadows into the far corners of the large space. There were many huge rocks scattered about as if some violent act had taken place many years ago. Brendan led the others into the cave, using the glow root to light the way. They had to step around bits of rubble, but the footing w
as solid. The further he went into the cave, the more details he noticed. The lake in the center was crystal clear and shimmering and Brendan noted small incandescent sparkles scattered all over the walls and the floor. The minerals must have been in the lake as well.
“That water sustained my clan for generations, but now… they’re all gone,” Sabd said remorsefully.
Dorian and Brendan kept quiet not wanting to further upset their new friend. They stepped deeper inside and saw that a black throne sat off to the left reminding Brendan of the ugly megaliths that now scarred Corways.
“Elathan’s?” Brendan asked, gesturing towards the throne.
“Yes. That was where I stood when I learned his true nature.” Sabd’s eyes were growing moist.
“If being here is too much, then you should go. You don’t need to put yourself through any more pain,” Dorian said.
“No. I would endure any amount of pain to help you stop Elathan.”
They walked along the water’s edge and peered down into the depths. At first the glimmer at the bottom of the water looked like the rest of the minerals, but upon closer inspection Brendan could see that it was something else.
“Is that a sword?” he asked.
Dorian leaned down and squinted to try and get a clearer view. “It could be.”
“Do you think it’s my sword?” Brendan closed his eyes and reached out his mind towards the sword. Something about it was familiar, but he wasn’t quite sure what it was. “I need to get it.”
He took a step towards the edge of the water when Dorian grabbed his arm. “Wait.” She spun him around and kissed his lips. “Be careful.”
Brendan’s body began to take on a silver glow as he smiled. “What could go wrong?” he replied with a wink just before he dove in.
“He’s doomed himself to a watery grave,” growled an eerie voice from the other side of the lake moments later.
“Dewi!” Sabd yelled.
The dragon god flapped his wings and rose above the water stopping a dozen meters in front of Dorian and Sabd. “This cave belongs to Elathan, just like the rest of Otherworld. Even the water of the lake tends to our master. That boy is as good as dead, and you are about to join him.”
Chapter 6
Visions of the Crown
Even though the water had appeared so clear from above, the world around Brendan quickly began to darken. Luckily for Brendan, he was still able to see immediately around due to his own silver glow even as the light faded away. This conveniently allowed him to keep his eyes on the sword. It was an odd sensation for Brendan to be diving underwater and not have to worry about breathing. He had trapped enough of the air around his body at the surface to sustain his lungs for what he estimated to be fifteen minutes, which should have been more than enough time to grab the sword and get back to dry land. He almost laughed at the absurdity of his newfound powers, although when he thought about who and what he was up against he knew that it was no laughing matter.
Brendan pulled his arms through the water moving at what he felt was a pretty good clip, diving deeper and deeper towards the bottom. Surprisingly, the lake was much deeper than he had originally thought. The more he watched the sword on the lake floor the more it seemed to move further and further away from him. His vision tightened giving the view ahead of him a distorted tunnel appearance.
“What’s happening?” he mumbled aloud. “I know I brought enough air.”
His mind was beginning to panic and he started to think about turning around, but a pair of soft, watery-contorted voices caught his attention. He scanned around and saw wavy shadows floating near one another. A sudden cloudiness tinged with an air of anger pressed in on his mind, but he shook his head and it vanished. He directed his body to go closer to the shadows, and as he drew nearer he recognized the pair.
“Are you certain this is what you want to do, Nuada? There will be no going back,” the Morrigan stated flatly.
Nuada turned and took a watery step away from her as if he were on dry land. That’s when it hit Brendan that he was having a vision.
“As you claimed, a nether purlieu would be able to imprison someone as powerful as Elathan, and I am seeing fewer options aside from an all out war that may very well decimate the Earth,” Nuada said, considering the idea.
“War may not just be contained on Earth, Nuada. You know as well as I that Elathan would not hesitate to attack you and your supporters in Otherworld.”
“What about the Crown itself? Could it be used in some way to… I don’t know, trap Elathan or maybe even destroy him?” Nuada asked hopefully.
“Tricky, tricky it would be, my old friend. Accessing the Crown is nearly impossible, and even if one could find the entrance, the interior of the Crown is debilitating and would surely destroy any who were foolish enough to try.”
“But what of its power?” Nuada inquired.
“The Emerald Crown of the World contains all the power of the known universe. If something were to happen to it then all would be lost.” The Morrigan turned on Nuada and snatched him by the shirt, hoisting him into the air. “I would sooner kill you than allow you to lead Elathan to such a destructive power!”
Brendan was in awe. As long as he had known about Nuada it was his understanding that being an ultragod was the pinnacle of power an individual could have—not considering Elathan’s latest transformation. It made him wonder just what exactly the Morrigan was. He felt frustrated that he didn’t know more about her.
“I would never—you must believe me!” Nuada pleaded.
“A nether purlieu is your only chance to avoid war. Do you accept the terms or do you wish to bring about the annihilation of the Earth and her people?” she asked as she released his shirt.
He paused briefly. “I do accept the terms. It is my responsibility, and I must make things right.” He looked into the Morrigan’s eyes and nodded. “But first I need to leave the people of Earth a means to protect themselves from the creatures of Otherworld. Can you allow me a reprieve until then?”
She released him. “You’ve already had me grant Arawn god status—what more could they need?”
“Arawn will no longer be on Earth. Elathan’s followers will not squirm into the darkness and hide forever. Arawn is needed for that task in Otherworld.” Nuada turned away from her. “His deeds have warranted grand rewards, Morrigan.”
“You are granted the time it takes for me to create the nether purlieus, Nuada, not a moment longer,” the Morrigan proclaimed.
The vision drifted away on the currents of the water. No! Why don’t you ever give me answers?
Brendan held his forehead. “Calm down,” he ordered himself. He tried to consider what he had just learned, but he had so many questions, so many frustrations. What exactly was the Crown and why was it so dangerous?
Distracted by his thoughts Brendan didn’t even see the niseag approaching from behind. The creature shot a spray of its frigid breath and blasted Brendan in the back. Neighboring water molecules rapidly froze around him encasing him in a solid block of ice. The niseag used its front claws to snatch up Brendan in the frozen block and dragged him to the bottom of the lake.
His questions were going to have to wait.
…
“So, Earthling, I see you have dug the rat from his hole,” Dewi said, glaring at Sabd.
“You are the traitor, Dewi,” Sabd shot back. “Brugh belongs to no one—let alone a psychotic god and his pet lizard.”
Smoke began to trail out of Dewi’s nostrils as rage flashed across his eyes. “I am no one’s pet! You will die for your insults.”
“No one needs to die,” Dorian interjected. “We can talk this out peacefully.”
“Do I look like someone who’s concerned with peace?” Dewi asked, ice in his tone despite the heat in his throat.
The dragon god drew a deep breath and let loose with a stream of fire directed at the white deer, but Dorian was faster and snatched Sabd by the antler and swung him out of the pa
th. She spun back around and held up her hands in a peaceful gesture.
“Please, we are not here to fight,” she implored.
“Then this isn’t your lucky day.”
…
Brendan could feel the decibars of pressure increasing as his body was dragged deeper into the lake until it leveled out at the bottom. The niseag wedged the block of ice that trapped the Protector into a crevice causing shards of ice to be shaved away against the mineral rocks of the lake floor. The niseag swam around and picked up a large flat stone from across the way and then placed it on top of Brendan’s ice prison for good measure. Seemingly satisfied with its work, the niseag began to swim out of sight.
Brendan’s eyes were frozen open and as he looked out through the frosted glass of the ice block, he watched the niseag swim off into the distance. The lake apparently extended below the cave floor and encompassed a massive amount of space.
Stupid niseag! Do you think this can hold me?
He could feel his body temperature dropping, making him consider the possibility that hypothermia could set in at any moment. He moved his eyes to the left and a glimmer caught his eye; he remembered why he had jumped into the water in the first place.
Don’t give up… so cold… so angry…
…
The castle was colder than normal, an interesting contrast to the lake of fire that raged just outside its walls. Elathan sat in his throne mentally calling out to his servant back on Earth.
“Crannog?”
There was a moment’s pause, but it was obvious to Elathan that his powers were continuing to strengthen as evident by how fast his minion replied.
“Yes, Lord Elathan, I am here,” Crannog answered.
“What news do you have for me about your search for the Crown?”
“I… I think that I have found a way to locate an entrance, my lord.”
“Oh?” Elathan asked, his curiosity peeked.
“I siphoned the energy from a young Dryad, and I believe I caught a glimpse of the Crown. It was magnificent!”
“Dryad?” Elathan mumbled. “Be careful in the matters that concern the Morrigan, Crannog. She is not to be trusted and neither are her trinkets.”
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