The Stir of Echo

by Susan Gabriel

  Flynn's countenance took on a serious expression. Echo was certain now that he was not playing a game. A tightness rose in her throat and she swallowed it down, nodding at Flynn to continue.

  Flynn moved into the light. For a moment, he appeared to shimmer translucently, like a desert mirage. Wow, she must have drunk more than she thought. Echo blinked her eyes and he was solid again.

  "I am from an ancient and immortal race of beings known as the Daoine Sidhe.” He pronounced it Deenie Shee. “It used to be that all Celtic people knew of our legend, but we have fallen into a dim memory at best and a silly fairy tale at worst."

  Echo couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her grandmother had told her the legend of the Daoine Sidhe—tall, handsome people who lived in a land beneath the waves of a great lake.

  Echo had adored listening to Granny's tales of the fun-loving and carefree people. They were gods and not gods, but something in between. She had told her not to be frightened of her “gift” because the Sidhe had given it to her when she was bor n with red hair. Echo had always considered that her Gran was just making it up to make her feel special.

  Flynn continued, “We are much like you, but not always quite as physical as you see me here ... I'll get to that part in a minute.” Flynn looked questioningly at Echo. She could tell he was gauging her response. “Are you still with me?"

  Echo nodded her head reassuringly.

  "I've wanted to tell you about my world for so long, and I have so much to share with you, but time is ticking away, so I need to make this brief.

  The Daoine Sidhe enjoy the same things as you do, eating, drinking, lovemaking, we have always taken a great interest in mankind. Before recorded time we inhabited the land that you now know as Ireland. We were driven out when the humans came with their weapons, brutality and greed for land. We settled into a realm of the Otherworld called Tir-na-nog."

  Tir-na-nog? Echo had heard—no—she had seen that name before! Yes it was in her dream! There was a road leading to a place called Tir-na-nog. Now she was certain Flynn wasn't making this up. It was impossible for him to know what had been in her dream.

  "Echo, have you heard of people claiming that they have seen traveling spheres of light that hover above the ground then are gone as fast as they appeared?"

  "Yes,” Echo replied, “Many times."

  "Mortals reason them to be ghostly apparitions, but they are only the Daoine Sidhe passing through your realm. There has always been an exchange between Sidhe and humans. We are capable of taking on and maintaining human form when the circumstances are right. As you have already discovered, we are also capable of coupling with mortals. Children from the union of Sidhe and human are noble and heroic. Many of your great leaders were products of these couplings."

  Flynn walked nearer to Echo. An odd humming vibration emanated from him and seemed to blend with her energy.

  "In fact, Echo, you are descended from one of those unions."

  "I'm what? Flynn, how is that possible? I am about as normal and flawed as any human could be.” She protested.

  "No, you aren't. You are so much more than you know. Your great-great grandmother on your mother's side was Sidhe."

  "That ... that would make my mother part Sidhe too?” Echo queried.

  "That's right ... and you too."

  "Does she know?” Echo asked incredulously. If this is true, why didn't she ever tell me?

  "Echo, why do you think your mother goes traipsing to far-flung corners of the world doing wonderful, selfless deeds to ease people's suffering? That deeply empathetic part of her is from the Sidhe."

  She had never given a thought to how sweet and kind her mother was. It was just the way she was. Even in the face of adversity, her mother always had known how to say and do the things that healed the wounds.

  "How did I never know?"

  "How could you know? Why do you think your mother was so insistent that you take the house? Just a coincidence? Echo there is no such thing as a coincidence. She wanted you to discover your destiny on your own."

  Echo was suddenly sorry that she had not paid more attention to the history of her family. She had long ago chalked their tales up to the wild imaginings of a superstitious people.

  "Now, I need to explain my existence as you see me here before you. Your gift of clairaudience is not a one way street. Picture it as an open door in your mind; things can come in, however things can also go out through that same door. Desires, for instance, can become so compelling that they take form and appear as beacons to the world beyond. You are more powerful than you realize. Your strong need, and our Sidhe connection, drew me to you. Your soul cried out to me and I wanted to become the man that you most desired."

  Somehow, deep in her soul, Echo knew that every word he said rang true. She had desired a man exactly like Flynn. Her attraction to him was nearly magnetic, like two forces that were powerless to resist one another. She knew a bond with him like she had never known—and a love for him that was deeper than she had ever felt possible. Many men had tried to change her selfish ways, but none had succeeded, until now.

  Flynn drew closer. Kneeling on one knee, he took her hand in his. His face close to hers, Echo realized that he was almost too beautiful to be real. She remembered the night in the pub and the jealousy she had felt because he had outshone everyone in the room, including herself.

  "Echo, I am your desires made manifest.” He explained. “What I am, you have created, and like creator and creation—no matter what the future holds—we are bound, each to the other ... for eternity."

  Echo's hands flew to her mouth. His words reverberating in her head like a phonograph record jumping over the same phrase over and over again ... bound for eternity ... bound for eternity. How could they be bound forever when he was immortal and she grew older by the minute? He would always remain this way—young and handsome and full of life, while every day that passed would drain the vigor from her mortal body until she was dry and shriveled.

  "I told you that I have to go home tonight. I would like to give you a glimpse of where I am going, if you'll allow me."

  Yes, she wanted to know. She nodded in agreement, expecting him to produce a worn photo album filled with images of the mysterious Tir-na-nog, but instead Flynn crossed his hands in front of her face and slowly fanned them open.

  The sound of a million humming bees filled Echo's ears. The room shimmered and gave way to a vision.

  A vast green land of hillocks and white paper bark trees stretched out before her. At her feet lay a mossy path dotted with rings of saffron mushrooms. Coming towards her was a maiden, exceedingly beautiful and riding on an ice-white steed. It was the woman from her dream. A golden crown was on her head and a mantle of russet silk, bejeweled in stars of amber cabochons, fell about her body and trailed to the ground, rustling softly upon the earth as she rode. Silver shoes were on the steed, and a crest of gold bobbed on his regal head.

  The beauty of the place was so overwhelming that it took her breath away. Her heart seemed to overflow and Echo's eyes brimmed with tears of joyous rapture as she gazed into the vision.

  Drawing near Echo, the woman said, “Delightful is this land and fairer than you have ever seen. With wild honey drip the forest trees. Fairy horses race the wind and a thousand voices will sing thee to your sleep. No pain or sickness, death or decay may find you here. Enter any way you wish, but you may not leave the same way you came in."

  The scene began to flicker and fade. “No, come back!” Echo pleaded. She wanted to stay and stay in this place of fairy horses and honeyed trees. But all too soon she was returned to the stark reality of the drawing room, where Flynn stood watchfully over her. She wondered how he could bear being so far from this wondrous place.

  "Did you like what you saw?” he asked.

  "Oh Flynn,” she exclaimed. “It was the most...” Echo struggled to find the words that properly described how she was feeling. “I ... I can't seem ... I'm speechless."

&n
bsp; "I know. Believe me I do. And that was just a glimpse; the reality of Tir-na-nog is beyond a mortal's imaginings.” “What did she mean that I can enter any way I wish but

  I may not leave the same way that I came in?"

  "If you choose it, on this most sacred night of Samhain, when the veil between this world and the otherworld is thin and allows beings from both sides to pass freely between the two dimensions, I can share my immortality with you and bring you with me to Tir-na-nog. You will have an eternity of learning. I will teach you discipline and structure. I will instruct you how to use your gift to listen to the earth, the seasons, and the animals and to ease you through the transition mentally and physically. It is only at this moment that I can offer this to you, after tonight, the opportunity will be lost."

  Echo sat bolt upright in her chair, her mouth ready to blurt out, “Yes, yes, take me there with you!” But Flynn held his hand up, quieting her.

  "Before you jump to your answer, I have to tell you that once you pass over, you will not be able to return here for a very long while. Time passes differently in my home and what passes in days there, passes as years here. Ultimately, with training, you will be able to move from one realm to the other, changing form at will, but by that time all you know will have gone from the earth."

  So it was final. Once she made her mind up to follow him to Tir-na-nog, there could be no looking back, no saying goodbyes, just a silent slipping away into another world.

  What was there to think about? Flynn offered her immortality in a land beyond description. What did she have here? A meaningless job, no friends? Her family was scattered across the globe and she hadn't seen them in ages. If she chose to remain behind, she knew that she would be staying alone.

  Flynn paused, staring intently into Echo's eyes, his blue eyes now glowing with preternatural light. “I know I have given you a mouthful to chew on, but your decision needs to be made now. Make it from your heart, Echo and not your mortal head. I have to ask you again. Do you choose me for your Master?"

  Echo rose slowly from the chair. She stood at destiny's fork in the road. If she turned left, she could walk out the door and back to her life. The path on the right led to Flynn and the vast unknown of eternity. He had given up, even if only temporarily, his life in the most wondrous place she had ever seen, just to be with her. Now, he was offering her the most tremendous gift he could possibly give, but what did she have of value to offer to him?

  She gracefully picked up the hem of her dress. She stood before Flynn for a moment, wondering what she could offer him and she dropped to her knees and stretched out, prostrating herself at his feet. All she had to give was herself.

  "I gratefully accept your generous gift and in return, I offer you the gift of my heart. I know you will cherish and protect it as if were your own. I offer you my life, which I trust you to honor because you are a man of honor and you are steadfast and true. I offer you my undying love which asks for nothing in return because it never has belonged to me—it was yours all the while."

  Flynn placed his hand over his heart, willing it not to burst from his chest. Her love for him radiated outward and the intensity of the emotion caused him to stagger backward a step. After all of this time, amid passion and tears, his dream had become reality. She had chosen him—above all others—she had chosen him.

  Bending low, he took Echo's hand and guided her to a standing position. Her fair face was sweet with childlike trust and anticipation. Wrapping her in his arms, he kissed her mouth.

  "Have I ever told you that I love you?” he murmured, his cheek pressed against hers.

  "Never."

  "I'm telling you now. I love you, Echo. I love from the tip of your toes to the depths of your Irish soul.” Flynn squeezed her tightly, wanting never to release her from his embrace.

  "Oh God, Flynn, I love you too. I love you so much it scares me."

  Flynn glanced at the mantel clock that ticked away the magical minutes. There was less than an hour before midnight.

  "Echo, we have to go. Samhain is nearly spent."

  The Seed of Immortality

  Flynn raced Echo down a steep, dark staircase ending at an arched wooden door, easily twice her height and bound in black iron. Turning the weighty bolt, Flynn pressed his body against the wood and it groaned open. A rush of warm air blew across Echo's face. Flynn beckoned her inside.

  The room was black as pitch. With a wave of his hand, a multitude of niches carved into the stone walls illuminated with candle flames.

  Echo was wide-eyed in amazement. Like a magician Flynn had bent the laws of nature and called light into the darkness. Her Granny's words about the Daoine Shee came back to her—gods, but not gods, something in between.

  The stone wall of the round room was etched in symbols, the meaning of which Echo could not grasp. On the floor, a pair of intersecting circles was drawn with a silvery powder. Just beyond the circles, a dense pile of exotic animal skins were heaped in an inviting pallet.

  A curious wonderment overcame Echo. Were these the last things she was ever to see of this mortal world? She memorized the room with her eyes and tucked it into a pocket in her mind.

  Flynn took her by the hand and led her into one side of the circle.

  "Are you ready?” he asked.

  Echo nodded in agreement, her knees knocking in anticipation.

  "Alright then, help me out of this get up,” he said positioning himself in the opposing circle.

  Echo thrilled. The thought of undressing Flynn caused an aching deep inside of her. Her pulse quickened, as with trembling, gloved fingers, she reached to remove his clothing.

  She slid the cape from his shoulders and it landed in an airy billow on the floor. She pulled his shirttails from inside of his waistband and meticulously unbuttoned the line of polished black buttons that ran the length of his torso. Her hands reached beneath the fabric, gliding along his muscular chest and slipping the shirt from his brawny arms. It was then that Echo noticed an ethereal glow emanating from his flesh. She felt her fingers passing through an invisible, but palpable field of energy as she knelt, removing his shoes and socks. She knew with certainty that she was in the presence of an immortal.

  Flynn remained silent, looking down upon Echo as she looked up towards his belt buckle, his trousers straining with the girth of his impatient prick.

  He groaned when Echo jerked the leather of his belt strap backward, tightening it briefly against his body before releasing the catch. When Echo dipped her fingers beneath his waistband to unbutton his pants she discovered the reason for the groan. The head of his cock lay strangled just behind the top of his trousers.

  The tips of her gloved fingers skimmed the surface of his throbbing purple head as she unzipped him, releasing the pressure on his swelling behemoth. In a single tug, she freed him from the last of his clothing and he stood before her—his body a feast for her eyes.

  His penis was larger than she remembered. Fully erect, the swollen head touched the top of his navel. It too, glowed with the same unearthly light as the rest of his body. Echo could see the veins beneath his skin pumping the blood into his monstrous prick. Her mouth watered at the sight of his straining cock and her hands longed to be rid of the gloves so that she could feel the silkiness of his rigid skin beneath her fingers.

  "Echo, meet The Crippler” he said, showcasing his penis with his hands.

  You've got that right. Echo didn't know how they were getting to Tir-na-nog, but if he was going to use that on her, she sure wouldn't be able to walk there.

  Reaching down, Flynn loosened the ties on Echo's gown. Her heaving breasts broke free from the corset. She longed for the sensation of his flesh against her flesh.

  Touch me, Echo thought, Oh Flynn, please touch me.

  His hand cupped her elbow, bringing her to her feet. Flynn tugged on the wide zipper that held the front of her gown together, and the dress collapsed to the floor.

  Standing naked, Echo remembered what this was a
ll about. She had gotten lost in the undressing and revelation of their bodies. She had momentarily forgotten that she was leaving this world for another—but how?

  As if Flynn had read her thoughts, he explained. “From time to time during this transformation, I am going to have to perform a bit of magic mumbo-jumbo. Please try to take it seriously, Echo and show it the respect it deserves, alright?"

  "I will ... I do. I do take it seriously.” She nodded her head reassuringly.

  "Don't be frightened,” he instructed. “Just do as I say and you'll be fine."

  Echo wasn't frightened. She was crawling with the anticipation of a bride taking her first tentative steps down the aisle.

  "Assume the upright kneeling position, your hands clasped in front of you."

  Echo reverently knelt on the stone floor, her eyes respectfully downcast.

  Flynn stepped out of the circle, his muscular buttocks like two ripe plums. He walked a few feet where a triangular table balanced on three legs. He struck a match and put it to a bowl of black powder. The powder flared up quickly and then died down to ashes. He followed by placing an opaque golden stone into the powder. An intoxicating aroma rose in curling ribbons of silver smoke from the bowl. Echo filled her nostrils with the sweet, earthy scent. It reminded her of Sunday mass when the heavy aroma from the burning censers drifted over the heads of the congregation in the cathedral.

  Flynn carried the bowl and stepped purposefully around the silvery circle. With his hand he wafted the smoke over Echo's kneeling form, reciting.

  "I call upon the influence of frankincense and myrrh,

  Your erotic powers on this servant to confer.

  Mingle your essence on Samhain night,