“Aye, well, I’ve never known of any human who could summon another to their location! Your powers are immeasurable, Alainn, and apparently ever growing! One moment I was standing with Killian discussing our narrow escape, and then a ray of light encircled us. I did not experience fear or discomfort, but I felt myself being pulled through a strange tunnel filled with a thick mist. I believe I may have momentarily lost consciousness.”
“Is it because you possess supernatural abilities of your own that I was able to summon you, but not my husband?”
“Perhaps it is so,” Danhoul agreed.
“How much time has elapsed since I have been gone from our world, Danhoul?” she whispered in a forlorn tone. “How many days have I been held captive here?”
“You have not been gone days, Alainn.” He reassured her. “Perhaps nearly a day. Dawn approaches now in our world, but it was only just this day Aine took you to this realm!”
“But Lugh informed me days ago that many days had already passed while I slept.”
“Lugh is a powerful god and, I’ll admit full well, he is capable of much, but he is often an arse and not above spinning falsehoods to suit his needs. However ’tis true time in this realm is not calculated as it is in our world.”
“In the fairy glade ’tis true time is measured differently and it passes faster than in our world for I can spend what I think to be an entire day in the fairy realm and it in truth it is only hours in our world, but in the realm of the gods time evidently moves much more swiftly?”
“Aye! That seems to be an accurate observation.”
He continued to glance down at the blisters upon her arm, which had been eased greatly by the dragon’s slimy saliva, but Alainn saw Danhoul’s most aggravated expression. He held his hand over the burns and closed his eyes. Light radiated from his fingertips and the blistered red welts disappeared entirely along with the painful burning sensation. The only evidence remaining from the deep burns were tiny pale white lines. Alainn’s serious eyes quizzed him without words.
“Our powers are truly greatly exaggerated and magnified here in the land of the gods,” Danhoul offered. “Have you not found this to be true?”
She glanced toward the doorway, expecting Lugh to appear.
“I’ve mostly tried to keep my abilities hidden from that arrogant dolt, for I have no time or desire to be assessed or instructed by him, but, aye, I can move from one location to another with relatively little resistance.” She considered relating to him all that had happened with the dragons but, for now, she thought it better to keep that concealed. “I attempted to heal my arm myself, but you have managed it much more successfully.”
“Aye! ’Tis much more difficult to heal one’s self than others...even here in this magical realm.”
“So you have been here before, Danhoul?”
“Aye, more times than I could count,” he admitted.
“So, you’ve seen the many creatures found in this realm?” she asked.
“Aye, I’ve seen some of them. There are many peculiar beings, giants and trolls, and such, and some with names issued by the gods that no human would truly understand or comprehend without having witnessed their like.”
“Giants and trolls?” She smiled, considering the notion if not for the great desire to be back to Killian and their life together, not to mention the many daunting concerns regarding their unborn child; she would be intrigued to stay here in this realm to witness all the many creatures.
“And there are certainly many different locations that are home to the gods; for, of course there are the gods who were long ago banished to the Underworld. Others have the ability to come to our world and freely move from one realm to another. And each realm of the gods, like each fairy glade, is unique and filled with a diversity of creatures and beings.”
“You have great knowledge of this topic, Danhoul. You have spent much time here?”
“Aye, here and in many other realms.”
“What age are you then, Danhoul, for I thought you perhaps younger than my age.
“By what measure, Alainn? In human years, aye, I am six and ten, in truth, born upon the exact day as you, but one year later. I have spent much time in the lands of the gods, so I have lived many more years than what my age in our world would suggest.”
“You hold many secrets within, Danhoul?” She mused.
He simply nodded.
“And where do your magical abilities stem from? I have learned I have fairy and druid lineage, which apparently deems I am a witch, but what of you? My grandfather believes you to be from a strong druid ancestry.”
His smoky blue eyes took on a sad and regretful quality “I know little of my lineage, I possess some magical abilities common to druids, and the gods have assured me it is so, but ’tis also from the gods that I have recently learned of the date of my birth and the circumstances that followed. I was apparently left upon the steps of an abbey when I was scarcely hours old. I know nothing beyond that.”
“Where were you raised then, and by whom?” she dared to ask one more question.
He turned his melancholy eyes from her and did not respond.
She chose to change the topic to one she hoped to be less disparaging. “So, would you be able to inform me as to whether dragons are found in all realms of the gods?”
“Aye, well there are said to be many dragons here as in many realms, but they aren’t creatures that allow themselves to be seen often.”
“Unless they’re trapped within a magical cave and need to be freed by someone not of this realm!” Alainn smiled tellingly.
Danhoul’s eyes grew as wide as shields. “You’ve located and freed the four druid dragons?” He slowly asked the nearly impossible consideration.
She nodded, but had no time to reply for, as she’d earlier suspected, Lugh appeared within the chamber.
Chapter Eight
“How did you come to be here, young druid? You are not permitted to be present in our realm at this time!”
“You’re aware my name is Danhoul, and you have no control over me. I’ll certainly not be ordered about by you, Lugh! You should know that by now! And I have a bone to pick with you. Why did you allow Alainn to be harmed when she is under your watch? What punishment shall befall a god who risks peril to his charge when he is to be guarding and protecting her?”
“It was her and her stubborn unwillingness to cooperate that caused her mishap. If I am to train her and to mentor her she must reveal her powers. She refused and so I was compelled to force her hand.”
Danhoul had obviously used his magical gift of second sight to learn what had caused Alainn’s wounds.
“And so you chose to use fire, to direct your pitiful fireballs at a woman who is of fairy lineage? Sure even you must be aware of what dire consequences befall fairies when fire is allowed to touch them? Do you suppose that was a wise choice, a choice Aine would desire or approve of?” Danhoul’s voice grew quieter yet clearly more threatening as he spoke to the god.
“I’ll be damned by all the Celt and druid gods who have gone before me if I’ll be guided by what Aine desires or approves of! I did not request this impossibly thankless task of guarding or training this woman!”
“And are you not bound by the Council of the Gods decisions and what they desire?”
Danhoul was well aware he’d caused the god to feel great unease. The tension spread palpably throughout the chamber and Alainn glanced at Danhoul. Lugh’s face wore a grim expression and his eyes filled with loathing. He took one step toward Danhoul and the young man defiantly pulled his sword from its scabbard.
Although Danhoul was a tall man, and stronger than his slight build would suggest, he was young. She felt her fear soar tenfold at seeing how Lugh obviously relished this physical challenge.
“You would dare to fight me?” He laughed in a nearly maniacal manner.
“I assure you, I will have no need to do battle with you,” Danhoul confidently replied.
Alt
hough his eyes revealed his doubt, Lugh glanced around as if to see what army of humans might come to the young druid’s aid. As he took another step toward the man, Danhoul glanced at Alainn. He caught the glint in her eye, saw the mystical light surrounding her and then watched her arms rise of their own accord. The massive bed that nearly filled the entire chamber lifted as though it were a feather and flew directly toward the god. He jumped to one side to escape the heavy object, and raised his arms to hurl it away, but the bed had begun to spin erratically at precisely the same time and trapped his arms in the iron headboard. Soon the metal spirals twisted further and whirled around his head as well. The bed spun several more times until it slammed against the wall, sufficiently pinning the god against the stones. His eyes grew wider and wider in astonished disbelief.
Alainn was shaking violently when she finally allowed her arms to rest at her sides. It was at that moment Aine appeared inside the chamber to view the melee. She glanced from the naked god who was evidently rendered harmless, to the two young humans. She arched her eyebrows and although she was quite obviously not one given to humor, she fought to control the urge to smirk at the absurdity of the situation.
“Lugh, have you perhaps tangled with the wrong female this time?” She cleared her throat to suppress her laughter. A low growl was his only response.
“Danhoul, I was not aware you had secured access or been summoned to our realm this day?” She directed her next query to the young druid.
“I had no intention of entering the realm, Aine. That, too, was apparently Alainn’s doing. Though she may have been reluctant to reveal her abilities to Lugh, she inadvertently showed him what she can achieve and then some, I’d wager. I believe that is only a small degree of what she can accomplish.”
“Perhaps you would have been wiser to listen to my warnings, Lugh. I asked you to remain concealed. You possibly believed it was so you would not be driven to fall into your lecherous habits with females but, in truth, because we had no indication what degree Alainn’s powers would measure in our realm... I had thought to protect you.”
“But...how could a mere human, a lowly woman, be capable of this?” He glanced down at his precariously unenviable predicament.
“My great-granddaughter may indeed possess human qualities for that encompasses part of what she is, but how quickly you forget or how very slowly you learn, Lugh. She is of my line—my father was the greatest of gods, my mother the queen of all fairies. Alainn’s great-grandfather, the man I mated with to create, Ainna, her grandmother, was a most powerful wizard. And my daughter Ainna’s mate, was an esteemed warlock. And that is simply Alainn’s maternal line. Her paternal line is of an ancient druid lineage and an uncommonly strong and mystically gifted line at that.”
Although the explanation was being offered to Lugh, it was Alainn that Aine cast her serious eyes upon as she continued to speak.
“Alainn was born of the full moon, at midnight, during Samhain when the planets were in the perfect alignment, conceived of the new moon, when thirteen of the brightest stars aligned with another. Each and every one of these conditions can bring about unusual and unprecedented greatness, but to put them all together, the sum of each of them...it is unimaginably extraordinary! No other human has ever existed with all these elements! Only a combination of all of these conditions could create such powers and abilities. Even I am uncertain what she may be capable of. Alainn is undoubtedly the most unusual human ever created, the most powerful witch that has walked the earth. She is surely the one of legend!”
Alainn swallowed hard and attempted to blink back the tears in her eyes as she listened intently to all Aine was revealing.
“By now, Lugh, you will surely have observed Alainn would not be compelled by personal threat to reveal what supernatural and magical abilities she might possess. However, should you threaten those whom she loves or cares for, she will be driven to protect them with forces even you or I may be unable to harness or withstand. She possesses a keen ability to detect what weaknesses others may have. She knew you were immortal, that she is surely no match for your strength and so therefore she would be incapable of causing you physical harm. And yet she knew iron is your one weakness and that you could be confined by barriers of such a consistency.”
Alainn attempted to comprehend all that Aine was speaking of. She felt her fears reaching unhealthy proportions and she slowly lowered herself to the floor in desperation, taking in all the snippets of information she had not known till this time, her ancestry, her legacy. If all Aine spoke of was truth then how was she ever to lead a life of normalcy? As if sensing her despair, Danhoul went to her. He nervously touched her head and softly patted her blonde locks to comfort her. Aine looked down upon her.
“Do you now understand why we must keep you from dark entities? Should they find a way to reach you or turn you to the darkness, lead you into the Unseelie Court, they would have a distinct advantage!”
“So you mean to keep me here indefinitely, to imprison me forever? For always there will be temptation, and till the end of time there will be those who unite themselves with darkness. And if it is to be so, if that is your intention that I must live out my life here in this realm away from all those who are dear to my heart, I implore you to assist me in finding a means to abate the curse that is upon the O’Brien line. And should we manage that great feat, I would further ask that when my child is born he be allowed to return to his father. Then I request you end my life for to live out my life here without my Killian, without our love, that is no life at all!”
Aine stared intently at her descendant and finally spoke. Even gods are not capable of endless feats, it is not within our power to simply undo or eradicate a magical curse that was not our doing, and we certainly have no desire to end your life. Though you may not care to hear it, your child may possess powerful abilities as well,” Aine reasoned.
Tears slid down her cheeks as she spoke. “His father is human! Surely our babe will simply be a normal human child!”
“Aine, if you do not allow Alainn to return to our world, to her time, I sense there will be no hope of ending the curse and her unborn child will be doomed at any rate! You cannot keep her here against her will. You’ve seen what she is capable of when she is displeased,” Danhoul begged the god’s understanding.
“I did not think to keep her here till the end of her days; that was never my intention... nor that of the Council of the Gods. I have been gone this time, accompanied by many of the other gods permitted to leave our realm. We attempted to seal the many portals to the dark side. We have not managed to seal them all. Surely that great feat would be unattainable, but we have closed many with spells of magical enchantment. Perhaps now, together, you and Mara, your mother, may ensure the curse is ended.”
Alainn’s blue eyes filled with a newfound hope. She stood once more and walked cautiously toward Aine.
“You will allow me to return to my home, to my husband and our life together?”
The goddess looked upon the young woman with a sternly maternal expression and bade her fair warning. “Aye, to keep you here would only create a discontent and darkness within your soul. I see that now, Alainn. I will attempt to watch over you when I can, but I regret I cannot protect you always nor am I able to keep you from harm’s way indefinitely. It is as I have previously informed you; I am the protector of all women. My tasks are insurmountable and in truth impossible!” She sighed deeply and reflectively. “I will do what I can for you, to keep evil at bay, but you must do what you will and what you can to stay away from evil as well. As you have surely learned, your powers even in your world are unpredictable and ever-changing. Though magic is often a great asset, it is not without imperfections and not always to be trusted or relied upon. You must allow your husband, Killian O’Brien, and young Danhoul to be your guardians and protectors.
“And what of me?” Lugh grimaced with a downcast voice as he struggled against his iron encumbrance.
“Perhap
s you might need a guardian yourself, Lugh!” Aine suggested as she slowly moved her hand through the air and the man was finally released from his twisted prison. He glared at Aine and then looked almost respectfully at Alainn.
Aine’s authoritative voice resonated throughout the room. “If Alainn should need your protection or your guidance, though you as so many others are banished from entering the human world, you may be capable of offering some form of assistance when and if she desires it. You are most assuredly bound to this duty until her time on earth has ended!”
He only nodded in nonverbal agreement.
Alainn looked up uncertainly at Lugh who stood by the young man. Danhoul was a tall man, and yet Lugh stood at least a head and shoulders taller than him. The god remained completely unclothed, even now. Alainn waved her arms toward him and immediately he was donned in kingly attire.
He glanced down at his recently acquired garments and smiled at the young woman. “Ah, enchanting woman, well at least you chose for me garments fit for a god and not a pauper!”
Aine approached Alainn and spoke. “I must inform you that your new husband will retain no memories of having met me during my time upon your earth. They will fade entirely and soon he will have no recollection of having seen me or of me taking you to the realm of the gods. It is a condition governed by the Council of the Gods, no human can know of our visits to your realm.” In an uncommon display of affection Aine took Alainn’s hand in her own. “Go now, my kin and keep you safe!
She placed her fingers to Alainn’s forehead, closed her eyes, and began to speak unusual antiquated words when the sound of much loud barking just outside the castle appeared to interrupt the god.
“Is that not the sound of hellhounds?” Lugh queried, his voice filled with disbelief.
Aine’s eyes had grown wider and she cocked her head toward the doorway.
“It cannot be, for they’ve not been heard in this realm for...
“Millennia?” Alainn finished the sentence.
The Chieftain's Daughter Page 5
