"I am Meghan Elam, daughter of Danua, and you are?"
Cade stiffened next to me and for a dreadful moment I was afraid I might have said something to anger the woman. I didn't know her, after all, and the fact that she could take on the guise of a horse meant she was very powerful. Probably one of the Tuatha De; a goddess of the Celts.
I bit my lip and fought the urge to back down. Way to go Meghan . . .
The woman merely arched a pale eyebrow at me and, without smiling or adding any emotion to her voice, she said, "I am Epona, but some call me Rhiannon. I reside over the horses of Eile."
For about five seconds I simply stared at her, at a loss. Then I remembered reading about her in some of the stories in my Irish mythology book.
"Oh, I'm sorry," I fumbled with my words. "I'm just tired of being talked about like I'm some sort of novelty. I didn't mean to offend you."
I stuck out a hand, hoping to make peace, but Epona merely stared at it for a split second, her own eyes wide. Eventually, her lips quirked up into what could only be considered a smile. She reached out her own hand and took mine, shaking it firmly. A jolt of power shot up my arm and I hissed, fighting the urge to let my own glamour break free. I struggled against the rush of power and gradually my magic quailed. Unfortunately, it took a little more effort to get Cernunnos's gift back in line. A half a minute (and a slight headache) later, it finally settled. Thank goodness I'd had all that time to practice controlling it . . .
Epona released my hand and took a breath, casting her glance on Cade. "So, she has spirit, your Meghan. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, considering she's Danua's daughter."
The horse woman crossed her arms and smirked at me.
Speirling, who had remained strangely quiet this entire time, decided to make his presence known and let out a small whicker, his ears pricked forward and his eyes bright with joy.
Epona forgot us for a moment and glanced over at the black horse. Her face broke into a genuine smile and she stepped forward, her hand reaching out to Cade's stallion.
"Speirling! My dearest, how is Caedehn treating you?"
Speirling tossed his head once and dug at the earth with his hoof.
Epona patted his face and murmured something in the language of Eile.
Without looking back at us, she sighed and said, "I take it you've come for a horse for Meghan."
"Yes, if you have anyone to spare," Cade responded.
Huh? A horse for me? I blinked up at Cade and though his smile was small, his eyes were bright with humor.
"Very well, I shall ask them."
Epona stepped away from Speirling and faced her herd of horses. She crossed her arms and simply stared at them. As we waited, I took this time to study all of them. They all resembled Speirling: strong, sturdy animals with that aura of Otherworldly power and intelligence about them. Some were as dark as Cade's horse, while others were pure white or grey or brown. Many were all the shades in between and several more were multi-colored.
Finally, a red stallion trotted forward, tossing his head and whinnying. He was the most brilliant shade of chestnut I'd ever seen on a horse, and he was a bit smaller than Speirling.
The goddess eyed him and said, "Are you certain Lasair? You will be the horse of the high queen's daughter. That's a big responsibility you know."
The red horse merely dug at the ground and rumbled. I could only assume it meant he was sure about taking on the task of carrying me around the countryside.
"Very well," Epona replied, dropping her arms to her sides. "Come, meet your new mistress."
She reached out a hand and gestured for the horse to step up to me. I stiffened for a moment, nervous once again, but the Otherworld didn't have any cars and it would be nice to have my own horse.
"Meghan, this is Lasair, and Lasair, this is Meghan. You will need to rely on one another and trust each other's instincts if you are to work together. My horses do not belong to anyone, Meghan, they serve you willingly and may return to me whenever they please. If you wish Lasair to serve you, then you must be prepared to work as a team. Do you think you can do this?"
I nodded, trying not to flinch as she took my arm and placed my hand against the horse's forehead. As soon as my skin made contact, I could feel his thoughts and concerns. It wasn't exactly the same as speaking to Meridian or using shil-sciar with Cade, but somehow I knew what he was thinking, what he was feeling.
"He'll obey you now, but you must never abuse his loyalty or his trust."
I pressed my lips together and nodded.
"Thank you, Epona," Cade said, giving her a slight bow.
She nodded sharply, and stepped away from us.
"We will see you in Erintara at the end of the week, I believe."
"Yes," she answered, her voice growing grim and her eyes burning with anger. "I am ready for the battle to come. I will lose no more of my horses to the Morrigan."
She glanced over at Lasair, who had pinned his ears back against his head. I could feel his anger pouring over me, and I took a step back.
"Fear not Meghan. He lost his sister to the Morrigan several years ago, and he has not forgotten it. I believe this is what encouraged him to become your companion. He is ready to defeat her great evil as well."
I nodded and reached out a hand to my new horse. I stroked his neck and slowly his anger melted away. I smiled, sending thoughts of encouragement his way.
We took the extra saddlebags from Speirling and draped them over Lasair's shoulders. He didn't seem to mind, holding still until we had everything secure, including my longbow. I decided to keep the quiver on my back. It seemed more secure there and I didn't want to lose any arrows, especially if there was a chance of being ambushed by faelah at any given time.
Cade gathered up Speirling's reins and climbed onto his back. He then reached out a hand and helped me up behind him before leading the black stallion over to the red one. I was reluctant to get onto Lasair's back without a saddle or bridle, but the horse was calm and I could sense his encouragement. Once settled securely behind his neck, we turned to look at Epona.
"Until I see you in Erintara then. Be sure to stay clear of the faelah and anything else the Morrigan throws your way."
With that, the goddess transformed back into the cream-colored mare, tossing her head and whinnying as she led her herd back across the river.
Lasair watched her and the other horses as they disappeared behind the trees on the opposite riverbank. He whickered softly and I leaned forward to pat his neck. I ran my fingers through his mane and smiled. I could feel his sadness, but his pride was stronger. Casting aside my own doubts and fears, I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around his neck. Lasair nickered with affection and before I knew it, we were on our way toward the Dagda's once again.
* * *
We followed the river for an hour before turning south again. The trees eventually gave way to the rocky ground I had grown so familiar with when traveling to the Dagda's. The horses moved at an easy pace, not too fast and not too slow. Just after mid-day I caught a glimpse of a familiar group of hills rising up from the level earth.
"Not much further now," Cade called over his shoulder. "Fergus, go on ahead and let them know we're on the way."
Fergus barked once and took off, Meridian chattering as she hurried after him.
Yes Meridian, I sent after her, go right ahead.
I smiled when she sent me an apology. She had grown rather fond of Fergus and ever since nearly losing him in spring to the Morrigan's wrath, she had been even more intent on watching over him.
Settling back into the rhythm of Lasair's smooth gate, I relaxed and prepared myself for an easy end to our journey. Unfortunately, that's not what Fate had in mind. The first wave of faelah exploded from the earth a split second before Meridian's warning screech tore into my mind. The dark creatures rose from the uneven ground as if the soil had been as heavy as tissue paper on their backs. Of course, by the way they were built it didn't surprise m
e that bursting from the earth was no difficult task. Compact and close to the ground but with powerful legs, the creatures didn't even bother to stop and shake the mud from their hides. They simply emerged and charged, their broad, crocodile-like mouths hanging open, their long spiked tails trailing behind them. Let's just say shock didn't even come close to describing my first reaction.
"Meghan, your bow, quickly!" Cade snarled from Speirling's back.
I snapped out of my stupor and reached down, trying my best to untie the knot holding my bow in place while simultaneously staying atop Lasair. We were still moving forward at a steady pace and the faelah were charging towards us, covering the distance at an alarming rate.
My fingers shook and I could feel sweat breaking out on my forehead. I gritted my teeth as my adrenaline surged, awakening my glamour. I would have loved to just fry our approaching enemy, but unfortunately I had to use my own power to suppress the magic Cernunnos had given me. The blue rose was fighting harder than ever to burst open and spill its magic into the world. Too bad my gut instinct was telling me this wasn't the right time to use it.
I cursed as the first monster slammed into Lasair. He gave a fierce whinny, but kicked out with his front legs, catching the faelah before it could do any damage. I slipped and almost fell, but managed to catch a handful of the horse's mane.
Lasair didn't shy away from the Morrigan's minions like Speirling did. Instead, he rushed towards the downed faelah, lashing out with his hooves and trampling the creature into the ground. For a mere moment I sat stunned, almost forgetting to shift with his movements so I wouldn't tumble to the ground. This wasn't just a horse, this was a warrior.
"Meghan!" Cade called out again.
I looked up to find him clear of Speirling's back. He stood still with his arms spread slightly.
"Don't let their tails lash you and try not to get bitten."
Cade let his head fall back and he closed his eyes, taking long, steady breaths. The reptilian faelah kept emerging from the earth and in the distance I heard the baying of the Morrigan's hellhounds; her Cumorrig. We were under full attack. She had known we would eventually travel to the Dagda's. All she had to do was wait.
Lasair's furious scream reminded me that we had stopped moving. I glanced at Cade once more as the power of his riastrad took hold, but a horrible noise demanded my attention elsewhere. I sucked in a breath. More of the scaled faelah had moved in. I gave up on trying to untie my bow and instead reached down and drew the dagger Enorah had given me from its sheath. Thank goodness I had taken her advice and kept it on me.
"Try to stay steady Lasair," I whispered as I crouched low against his back, my heart in my throat. I had practiced defending myself during my stay in the Weald, but none of it had covered fighting from horseback. Still, my instincts told me I stood a better chance if I could just stay on Lasair.
The red stallion whickered softly, his sides heaving from the effort he'd used to kill the first monster. Having Lasair on our side gave me a sense of security, but that slight moment of peace vanished as something dark appeared over the rise in land to the north. I squinted, losing my concentration for a moment as I tried to see what that darkness was. Then it dawned upon me and my heart dropped to my stomach. The hellhounds I'd heard earlier. Dozens of them, and several other faelah as well. Their numbers far outshone the ones we faced that afternoon the Morrigan had lured me into her trap. We were doomed.
Meridian, go get the Dagda. Tell him we need his help! I sent in desperation.
Yes, swift! Meridian sent back.
Lasair pinned his ears flat against his head and snorted in fury, baring his teeth and stomping his feet. I let the three faelah that had surrounded us see my dagger, but whatever Otherworldly magic it might contain, it did nothing to intimidate them.
The creature in front of us hissed and leapt, aiming for Lasair's throat. The horse moved quickly, rising up on his hind legs and striking out with his hooves. He caught the faelah in the head and it went down. Unfortunately that gave the others an opening. They both jumped at the same time and one landed on Lasair's rump. The other aimed for me but I reacted quickly and lashed out with the dagger, stabbing the creature in the chest. It screamed in agony, but the forward momentum threw me off of Lasair. I landed with a thud on the ground, the faelah landing on top of me. I gasped for breath and thrashed at the creature, nearly throwing up as its stench filled my nose. Finally I struggled free, then quickly scrambled to my feet, my dagger ready for another attack.
Fortunately, the creature was dead, a giant welt growing and spewing smoke and gore where I had stabbed it. I pressed the back of my hand to my mouth, fighting the sickness that threatened to rise up. The magic within me still struggled to break free, but I gritted my teeth and fought it along with the nausea. If that army of Cumorrig fell upon us I might use it, but right now I was willing to fight with what I had.
A harsh whinny tore my attention back onto the battle scene and worry laced my blood as Lasair fought to remove the faelah. He bucked once, getting the one on his rump off, then reached around and bit into another, tearing it free and kicking it. I watched in awe and admiration as the horse pummeled the beasts with his hooves.
He tossed his head and screamed, jogging over to me and turning so that he stood between me and the approaching sea of evil. In the distance I could hear the rumbling of feet pounding the ground and Cade's harsh howl of anger as his battle fury aided him in taking out the first line of monsters.
This couldn't be happening. We were only yards away from the Dagda's home. We had to make it. I wasn't ready to risk using the magic Cernunnos had given me; I wasn't ready to risk losing my only secret weapon . . .
Suddenly furious, I shoved the dagger back into its case and then went to finish untying my bow from Lasair's saddle bag. More of those ground-dwelling faelah closed in, snarling and growling, but they didn't scare me. I calmly drew an arrow from my quiver, placed it in my bow, and took aim. The closest monster was only ten feet away, trying to get around Lasair. It lashed its long tail out like a whip and caught my horse on the shoulder. Lasair screamed in pain and I gritted my teeth, allowing just enough of my magic to flow free in order to ease the tension building inside of me. I released the arrow, letting it take some of my glamour with it. The arrow caught the creature in the throat and brought it down instantly. I sacrificed a few seconds to test my magic again. Straining against the strength of the other source of power, I drew just enough of my glamour out to establish a weak shield. Hey, something was better than nothing, and Enorah would be terribly disappointed in me if I couldn't create a simple defense after all my practice.
Once both my sources of magic were stabilized, I sought out another arrow and readied it, taking aim at one faelah, then the next as they charged towards me. I used just enough of my glamour to keep my shield up and to add extra killing power to my arrows. That other well of magic still burned and clawed to be set free, but I held it in place as sweat poured down my face. I took out three more faelah and listened for Cade among the clatter and cries of battle. His angry shouts assured me he was still fighting, so I kept up the combat on my end. Lasair, too, had proven himself a fierce fighter and he continued to kick and bite and trample as I aimed and shot my arrows.
A screech from above and the thundering of hooves tore me from my concentration. Meridian swooped down out of the sky, diving at the faelah who had managed to sneak up behind me. A shockwave of power hit me and I fell to the ground, my weak defense bursting like a bubble. Oh well, wasn't much of a shield anyway. The five monsters behind me collapsed and turned to ash, helpless against a spirit guide's power.
Dagda follows! Meridian sent as she moved on to another group of faelah.
A bark and a snarl announced Fergus's arrival as well. He must have gone with Meridian.
I stood up, wincing at the pain in my arm as I pushed against the ground. I glanced down at it and sucked in a breath. A long gash ran from my elbow and halfway down my arm to m
y wrist. The sleeve of my sweatshirt was soaked in blood. How had I missed such a huge injury? Had I been that focused on the battle?
A shout of fury rose above all the rest of the noise and I glanced up to see a small army of horses carrying men in chainmail charging towards us. Leading them was a huge man on an equally giant Palomino charger. Pale red hair streamed from beneath his helmet and he had a great sword raised above his head. The Dagda.
My knees buckled and I collapsed with relief. The Dagda and his guard thundered past me and behind them were dozens of other men armed with crude weapons and simple leather armor. I tried to stand back up so I could continue helping with the fight, but my legs wouldn't hold me. I mentally kicked myself for being weak, but there was nothing else I could do.
Lasair came up to me, his sides wet with bloody cuts where the tails of the faelah had lashed him. He knelt down beside me and at first I thought he was just as exhausted as I was, but when he turned his head to regard me with brown, intelligent eyes, I realized he wanted me to climb on his back.
Nodding grimly, I complied, trying to ignore the injured arm that had gone from aching to burning. I scooped up my bow before he rose and despite my pain, I continued to shoot the faelah from Lasair's back. The battle lasted a half an hour longer and although the Dagda and his men managed to kill several more of the Morrigan's faelah, most of them fled to return to their master.
"Meghan!" a familiar, yet muffled voice yelled.
I blinked and turned around, smiling in great relief.
"Dagda!" I nearly sobbed.
He still sat astride his large blond horse, but he'd removed his helmet, his red hair sticking out in every direction. His face was grim and his eyes burned with the fury of battle. He climbed down from his horse, the armor he wore clanging with every step. Without stopping, he reached me and pulled me up into a great hug. I yelped in slight surprise, but returned his embrace without a second thought. He smelled of leather and oil and sweat and the earth itself. I sighed and let the tension in my body melt away.
Luathara - Book Three of the Otherworld Trilogy Page 17
