by John Lenahan
‘There is a guard in front of the door to the Chamber,’ she whispered.
‘What did he look like?’ Dad asked.
‘He is standing at attention.’
‘Go up to him and ask him if he wants a glass of water.’
This obviously scared her, but she did it. She came back looking a bit confused. ‘He completely ignored me.’
Dad smiled, walked around the corner and right up to the guard. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. What was he doing? I followed. I mean, what else was I going to do? Dad strolled up to the guard and snapped his fingers in front of his face. The guard didn’t even blink. He just stared straight ahead, like he was in a trance–which he was.
‘One of Nieve’s specials,’ Dad said. ‘She practised it on me once when I was younger; it’s not very pleasant.’
Aein wouldn’t go down to the Chamber of Runes. It wasn’t that her bravery was faltering, it was just that it was not her place. She offered to guard the door and warn us if anyone approached but Dad said that wouldn’t help. ‘Can you do one more thing?’
‘Anything, Prince Oisin.’
‘Make sure there are no Leprechauns in the east wing. It might get dangerous today.’
‘Leprechauns don’t go there if they can help it but there might be some servants. I will only warn the ones I can trust.’
‘Don’t stay there too long yourself.’
‘May the gods protect you, Prince Oisin.’ Aein hugged Dad quickly and left.
Dad opened the door.
The Chamber of Runes was a long way down. The spiral staircase was lit by huge candles every couple of steps. I remembered what Araf said about them being able to burn for years. I was glad they were there, otherwise we would have broken our necks. There were no windows, but I suspected after a little while that we were well underground.
Halfway down was a landing and an unconscious guard–so far, so good. I knew we were getting close to the Chamber by the glow. It got so bright I half expected to walk into a television studio. Mom and Nieve had heard our approach–they were standing at the bottom landing, posed, each holding some magical weapon: Nieve’s made of gold and Mom’s of amber sap. They lowered them when they saw us.
‘Hi, girls, did you miss us?’ I said.
Mom flew into Dad’s arms. Nieve asked, ‘Did you get it?’
‘No problem,’ I said. ‘Dad’s got one hand on his wrist, and another hand in his pocket.’
Nieve gave me a dirty look. It’s amazing how quickly the women I meet learn that expression.
The Chamber wasn’t as big as I expected, but it was sure well lit. Araf said there were a hundred candles down here–it was more like a thousand. The walls looked as if they had been there forever, seen it all. It made me want to ask them questions. It gave a new meaning to talking to a wall. The chamber had no furnishings except for a stone table. At the opposite end of the room was an archway made of oak, like a proscenium in an old theatre. Beyond that were two more just like it, and at the far end was another stone table exactly like the one in this part of the room. I walked towards the archway.
‘Don’t go near that!’ Nieve warned.
‘Why not?’
‘That’s the First Muirbhrúcht. Trust me, you do not want to cross that by accident.’
I couldn’t see anything but I stepped back. I could tell by her voice that she was not kidding.
Dad unwrapped the hand and held it in place. Mom produced a wide golden bangle and opened the clasp. The gold bracelet was a clamp and she used it to secure Dad’s hand to his wrist. Dad held his amber hand up to his face. He turned it, staring at the front and back. He had that faraway look in his eyes, like he had in Cialtie’s bedroom. It took my breath away. I had always known this man as a one-handed wonder–now I was looking at him whole–the way I had seen him in my dreams.
Mom placed a piece of gold on his amber palm and then a square of oak, a blank rune. He turned to the archways–he was finally going to take his Choosing, something that he had been preparing for all of his life but had thought was denied to him forever.
He took a deep breath and said, ‘I’m ready’
‘I’m going with you,’ Mom said.
Dad, who was out of practice with his right hand, was so shocked he dropped the gold and the rune. ‘You most certainly are not!’
It was Mom’s turn to be shocked and she shot back with the same indignation, ‘Yes I am!’
Oh my, I thought, I’m witnessing my first parental argument. I wondered if I should go upstairs and hide in my bedroom.
‘Deirdre,’ Dad said, softening his tone a bit, ‘you can’t take a Choosing, it will disrupt your sorcery.’
‘I’m not taking a standard Choosing, I’m going to choose a Shadowrune.’ She placed a glob of tree sap in her palm and placed a disc of dark amber over it.
I hadn’t seen Dad that shocked since–well, never. I was shocked too. Dad had explained to me how gold was the fuel that powered the creation of a rune–Mom was going to attempt it using tree sap powered by Shadowmagic. I was sure no one had tried that before. Even with my limited understanding of all this stuff, the suggestion terrified me.
‘That is the craziest idea I have ever heard,’ Dad said.
‘It should work, Oisin,’ Mom said. ‘You and the Duir clan have had the monopoly on magic forever. You think that your gold is the only power there is, but you are wrong, I have proved it. And you might need help in there. What I’m doing may be unknown, but no one has ever tried to do what you are doing, either.’ Mom looked fierce. I made a mental note to get into as few arguments with her as possible.
‘Nieve,’ Dad pleaded, ‘help me on this.’
‘Deirdre and I have discussed it,’ Nieve said. ‘I think this has a good chance of working–possibly more of a chance than even you have.’
I heard the words good chance and possibly, and I didn’t like it. I had an awful thought that instead of having only one parent, I was soon to be an orphan.
Mom picked up the gold and the blank rune and replaced them in Dad’s hand. Dad attempted one last pleading look, but Mom was not for turning. A look of acceptance washed over his face, and they turned to the archway.
‘Wooh, hold on,’ I said, as I ran in front of them. ‘I, I love you both.’
‘You don’t have to tell me that, Conor,’ Dad said, ‘I know.’
‘And I, my son,’ Mom said, ‘will never grow tired of hearing it.’
I didn’t want to touch them and break their concentration. I said, ‘Good luck,’ and got out of the way.
‘May the gods be with you,’ Nieve called.
Then together, as if they had been rehearsing it all of their lives, they took a step towards the archway.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The Choosing
‘They have entered the First Muirbhrúcht,’ Nieve said. I couldn’t see anything before but I sure could now. A wall of light sprang to life as Mom and Dad hit it. It was like a force field in a science fiction movie, the air filled with tiny particles that glowed every colour of the rainbow and some colours that rainbows hadn’t even thought of yet. Mom’s black hair flew up and wildly floated about, as if she was underwater and caught in a riptide. It was beautiful and terrifying.
Their progress was painfully slow. It was obvious that this was not easy. At one point, Dad turned his head enough so I could see his face. He looked like he was screaming but I couldn’t hear anything. In fact the Chamber was eerily silent. Nieve told me that no sound could penetrate the barriers.
‘The first barrier is the easiest,’ she explained. ‘A Chooser can abandon an attempt and come back after the First Muirbhrúcht and survive–after that, there is no turning back.’
It didn’t look easy. I could tell that Mom and Dad were using every ounce of strength they had in order to push forward, but even so I’ve seen hour hands on a clock move faster. We watched in silence. All the muscles in my body tensed up in sympathy. I looked on
helplessly for what seemed like an eternity, and then the wall of light subsided–they made it through and I found myself breathing again. Neither of them turned around or even paused. I could see Dad’s leg shake as he put his weight on it, like a weightlifter who had just overexerted himself. He was having a tough time of this.
‘Do you think they are going to make it?’ I asked.
‘I do not know,’ Nieve said. ‘I do know that both of them would rather die than fail.’
The second barrier was a lot brighter than the first.
‘The Second Muirbhrúcht is the hardest,’ Nieve stated calmly.
Mom and Dad pushed on. I ached to see their faces, to get a sense of how they were doing, but was also glad I couldn’t. I don’t think I could have stood it.
‘Conor, place the Sword of Duir on the table.’
Nieve’s request came so out of the blue. I said, ‘Huh?’
‘The Sword of Duir,’ Nieve explained, ‘always sits on the stone table when a child of Duir is chosen.’
She said it in such a matter-of-fact voice that I just did as I was told–I figured she knew what she was doing. I placed the sword on the table and turned my attention back to Mom and Dad. I didn’t think it was possible but they were moving even slower than the last time.
‘Do you have any other weapons?’
‘What?’ I said, distractedly, not even looking at her. ‘Oh, just a knife that Dahy gave me.’
‘One of Dahy’s throwing blades? Can I see it?’
Oh, for heaven’s sake, I thought, my parents are a second away from killing themselves and you want to admire cutlery, but then I thought, OK, if this is how she is dealing with the pressure, who am I to complain?
It didn’t even occur to me what she was really doing. She was disarming me.
I reached down in my sock and handed her my knife without even looking. She took the knife and with the reflexes of a cat came up behind me. Her left hand grabbed me by the side of the neck and her right hand brought the blade to my throat. I was so stunned I didn’t react right away, but when I did I realised I couldn’t move. My neck was killing me. Nieve was wearing a ring with some sort of needle in it, a gold needle, I rightly assumed–I was completely paralysed. I tried to pull away but nothing was moving. I was rigid as a flagpole. I attempted to speak and was surprised that I could.
‘What are you doing?’
‘Don’t try to move, Conor.’
I tried anyway, but the only things that seemed to be working were my eyeballs. I looked down and saw that my own knife was about an inch from my throat. ‘Nieve,’ I repeated, ‘what are you doing?’
‘My duty’ she said.
‘Hey, I thought we dealt with this already. Dad gets his hand back and I’m no longer one-handed junior.’
‘If Oisin succeeds, I will let you go.’
‘If he doesn’t?’ I asked. She didn’t answer, but I guess it was a stupid question.
I continued to watch Mom and Dad–I had no choice, it was the way I was facing. The Second Muirbhrúcht was putting on a spectacular display. It was so beautiful and terrifying that I almost forgot I was paralysed and had a murderous relative holding a knife to my throat–almost. I relaxed for a second when I remembered Mom’s protection spell, but then I remembered that it only works once–Nieve had tried to kill me already. I had an infantile urge to call out to my parents but they couldn’t help me, or even hear me, and I wouldn’t have wanted to break their concentration anyway.
We were so engrossed in the fireworks that we didn’t hear the footsteps coming down the steps until the last second. Nieve spun me around on one of my tent-pole legs, like a comedian dancing with a department store mannequin. She took the knife from my throat and cocked her hand back in readiness to throw. It was Essa. When Nieve saw who it was, I felt her relax and replace the knife to my throat.
Essa stood still and took in the situation. Her expression turned serious but it wasn’t the look of shock that I had expected. ‘How is it going?’ she said.
‘How is it going?’ I shouted. ‘What do you mean, “How is it going”? She is trying to kill me! That’s how it’s going!’
Essa lowered her eyes in guilt.
‘They are almost through the Second Muirbhrúcht,’ Nieve replied, calmly.
‘You knew about this, didn’t you?’ I spat at Essa. ‘You’re part of this!’
‘Conor,’ she said in a compassionate voice that I had never heard come out of her before, ‘if this works, you have nothing to worry about.’
‘What if it doesn’t work, eh? Maybe you’ll allow me to worry about that!’
‘Conor…’
‘Don’t Conor me. I’m not surprised that my dear old aunt would pull something like this. She has been trying to kill me ever since we met–but you! I thought we…Aw, never mind.’
‘Nieve,’ I said, trying to turn around, which of course failed, ‘if this doesn’t work, I want her to be the one that sticks the knife into my neck. I don’t want someone who loves me doing it!’
Oh boy, I may have been paralysed but I sure got her in the solar plexus with that one. Essa instantly placed her hand over her mouth and then turned her back on me. Right away, I regretted saying it–but I was mad. And what was I supposed to do? Apologise to a girl who was trying to kill me? She finally looked at me again–her face was wet with tears. I don’t think I have ever seen a more miserable countenance. Then her eyes widened in sudden alarm. She looked around the chamber and said, ‘Where is Fergal?’
‘What do you mean, “Where is Fergal”?’ I said. ‘I thought he was with you!’
‘Araf sent him down here to tell you that I had found the gold lines and would be done soon.’
‘You let Fergal wander around the castle alone! How long ago was that?’
‘Ages ago,’ she said. Panic took over her face. ‘It took longer than I thought to cut the gold lines, and then I wasted time before I discovered that the guard upstairs was petrified.’
‘Oh my God,’ I said, as the realisation dawned on me, ‘I know where he is. He’s going to kill Cialtie.’
‘Oh my gods,’ Essa said, ‘oh my gods.’
I was about to tell her to get out there and look for him, when the whole chamber started to rumble. Nieve spun me back around.
‘They have entered the Final Muirbhrúcht,’ she said.
The overall colour of the third barrier wasn’t as bright as the second’s, but Mom and Dad’s right hands looked like they were spouting out the entire contents of a fireworks factory. The rumble got louder and the floor vibrated beneath our feet. That’s why we didn’t hear him approach.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The Truth, a Second Time
‘You lied to me!’ Fergal shouted as he appeared in the Chamber in a rage. He flew at me with murder in his eyes–it shocked the hell out of me. I instinctively wanted to run, except that I couldn’t. For a split second I had a moment of hope in thinking that Nieve would be startled enough to take that damn needle out of my neck, but she was her usual cool self. She didn’t even take the knife from my throat. Essa stopped Fergal before he throttled me. She had to use all of her strength.
His arms were flailing and spit was flying out of his mouth. ‘You lied to me. You and that witch mother of yours!’
‘Fergal, what are you talking about?’ I said.
‘You’re not from the Real World,’ he shouted, with so much vehemence that I could feel the force of his breath. ‘You killed my mother. You and that lying family of yours!’
The rumble in the Chamber increased, as if in sympathy with his mood. To say I was baffled doesn’t even come close. It was like having a cuddly cocker spaniel that all of a sudden turned into a killer.
‘Fergal, what are you talking about? Who told you that?’
‘I did,’ Cialtie said as he stepped into the chamber. He was flanked by four guards holding crossbows. ‘Son,’ he said in that dripping voice of his, ‘come over here.’
&nb
sp; Fergal did as he was told and Cialtie actually put his arm around his shoulders. I wanted to throw up.
‘Oh, Fergal,’ I said as I put the pieces of this puzzle together, ‘you don’t believe him?’
‘Of course he believes me,’ Cialtie said as he smiled down at Fergal. ‘Sons should always trust their fathers.’
I tried to speak but nothing came out. The guards looked pretty edgy and their crossbows were aimed at our heads, but I hardly even noticed.
‘Sister Nieve, I must say I’m surprised to see you with a knife to my young nephew’s throat and it looks like you’ve paralysed him as well. If I didn’t know you any better I would think you were on my side.’
Nieve didn’t move a muscle.
‘Oh, and you must be Princess Essa of Muhn,’ Cialtie said, addressing Essa who had backed up next to us. ‘I have been longing to meet you. You are even more beautiful than I had heard.’
Essa didn’t say anything, she just pulled her banta stick out of her belt and assumed an en garde position.
‘Ooh, feisty. I like a girl with spirit.’
I wanted to kill him but judging from the sound that came out of Essa’s throat, it seemed like I would have to get in line.
The rumble in the chamber abruptly stopped. Cialtie looked past us.
‘Well, well, my son told me what Oisin was attempting. I could hardly believe it, but what do you know, it looks like he did it.’
Nieve spun herself around and me with her. Mom and Dad were at the far end of the archways. The pyrotechnics had stopped. I could see them clearly. They were standing on either side of the stone table. Both were looking at Dad’s right hand. The gold bangle that had been on Dad’s wrist was gone, presumably used up to fuel the magic that made possible the reattachment–because reattached it was! I followed the line of Dad’s right arm down and I’ll be damned, there was a hand on the end. I gasped as Dad opened his fingers. It worked! In his palm was a rune. He tilted his wrist down and it fell to the table. Mom did the same, and an amber-glowing rune dropped on the stone surface next to Dad’s. They were ecstatic, but their ecstasy was short-lived. They looked to us and their faces filled with horror. I felt so sorry for them. Dad ran towards us but the Third Muirbhrúcht sparked to life and threw him back, like a tennis ball off a racket. I heard Cialtie laugh at that.
