The Celtic Symbol

by V M Jones

  Faelan rolled her eyes then spoke, “We tried to bring back the woman from the dwelling but they failed. We almost captured the other woman that came with you into the castle but she escaped. But look who we have now. You fell right into our hands. It was easy luring you in. Now I get to take over your body. That’s not what I would have preferred, but I’ll take what I can get. You’ll have to do. Imagine that, me going from being a witch to a priest.”

  “And that spell needs to be done during a lunar eclipse I suppose,” said Father Fahey trying to pry more information from his captors.

  “Aye,” answered Faelan nodding her head, “That’s when my powers are at their peak. According to my conjuring, that will be tomorrow night.”

  The king and Faelan turned to exit the room then looked back at the prisoners.

  “Take care of your bodies,” said the king sarcastically. “We need them to be in one piece.”

  Faelan laughed as she passed through the door.

  “Make sure they eat and drink,” ordered the king to one of the guards.

  Within a few minutes, the guard returned to the prison with two bowls of something like mush and two cups of water.

  “You will eat this or we’ll stuff it down you,” said the guard crossly.

  Father Fahey and Tevan slowly ate the porridge. Tevan made a sour face. It tasted awful.

  The guards exited the prison room and pulled the door shut. Father Fahey could hear the heavy lock of the door.

  “Don’t worry Tevan,” said Father Fahey trying to calm the lad. “None of what they said is going to happen. We’ll be rescued before then.”

  Without the sun and moon as guides, it was difficult for Father Fahey to determine the day from the night. Not that it really mattered in the netherworld. Tevan had fallen asleep. Father Fahey was starting to nod off when he heard a scraping sound from the corner of the prison wall. He watched as a hole appeared in the wall about a meter from the floor.

  “Who are you?” asked a voice from the hole in the wall.

  “I’m Father Fahey,” said the priest with a confused look on his face. “Who are you?”

  “I am Prince Nuallan,” was the confident reply.

  Father Fahey felt reprieved to hear the prince’s voice. He crawled over to the opening.

  “The lad and I are from the living world,” explained the priest as he peered into the opening.

  “I thought so,” said the prince with a sigh. “We’ve been spying on King Dubhshlaine and Faelan for quite some time now. We know they were trying to capture bodies to make their way back to the living world. We can’t let that happen”

  “I agree,” said the priest with an enthusiastic nod. “Especially since it’s me and the lad that are at risk. I’m with a group who is trying to rescue the lad and return him to his family. We’ve read transcripts of your history and situation,” explained Father Fahey. “We also know that we can’t let the king and the witch accomplish their plan of returning to the living world.”

  “I’ll help you any way I can,” said the prince as he poked his head through the opening in the wall. “Even though we’ve been trapped here for centuries, I know all of the passageways of the castle from my days as a young lad playing here. Fortunately, the king and Faelan have not yet discovered them. My men and I have been able to move about the castle to keep an eye on the king and witch.”

  “What about Caoimhe? Is she alright,” asked Father Fahey concerned.

  Prince Nuallan laughed and said, “She’s well. Not long after we were captured, we found we could remove portions of the stone walls separating the dungeon rooms. Within a few weeks, we had a passageway between our room and Caoimhe’s room. We were careful not to be discovered.”

  “I’m glad you’re able to be with her,” said the priest with a smile.

  Prince Nuallan nodded then continued, “After making passageways between the dungeon rooms, we then began looking for a way to connect to the hidden passageways in the castle outer wall. The dungeon was dug out of the mountain stone so it would be difficult to dig up to the castle walls. Fortunately, we found a fault in the stone in Caoimhe’s room. We had to start the new tunnel from the floor so it could be concealed by one of the floor stones. As we tunneled under the floor and over to the fault line, we found that the fault line opened up to a larger cavity up the stone face. We estimated the distance to approximately where the bottom of the castle wall was located. We had to chisel a few feet of stone to where the bottom of the hidden passageway in the northwest tower. We missed by a few feet the first time but found it on the second try.”

  “That must have taken a long time to cut into stone,” commented Father Fahey impressed with their determination.

  “The process took us almost five years to complete. We were able to make the passageway just large enough for us to move into and out of the narrow hidden corridor within the castle walls. Because the corridors are small, only a few can pass through them at a time. By connecting to the hidden castle passageways, we are now able to keep an eye on all that goes on in the castle. We can take what we need and once in a while have a little fun hiding things. We’re careful though so that there’s no suspicion as to our freedom within the walls.”

  “I can only imagine what it’s been like for all of you. When the others get here to rescue us, we’ll take you with us,” promised Father Fahey wanting to help them regain their freedom.

  He could only hope everything else was going as planned. They heard a key turning in the prison door. Prince Nuallan quickly replaced the stone in the wall separating the two rooms.

  14 final plans

  Dr. McNamara had just cleaned up from his trip to the castle. He checked on his team who had been working tirelessly on the portal generator during his absence.

  Aine was starting to mend but she only had use of one arm as the other was in a sling to protect the clavicle while it healed.

  “I’m tired of feeling useless when there’s so much to be done,” said Aine with a sigh. “I’ve got to get back to work to help save Tevan and Father Fahey.”

  Bandages and slings would not keep her from her duty.

  “I’ve finished connecting the components of the generator to the console. The generator itself is working fine. Aine has been very helpful in testing the equipment,” reported Brody trying to make Aine feel better.

  “Not helpful enough,” interrupted Aine a bit agitated.

  “You’ve both done a great job,” said their mentor complementing the two.

  The machine was made of a generator attached to large pulse machine not unlike the smaller devices used by the explorers in the castle except the pulse from this machine was constant instead of ripples.

  The large pulse machine was attached by several wires to a cage-like archway made of chicken wire and crisscrossed electrical wires. The archway was still in pieces to be assembled later. Each section of the portal cage had clips attached to the ends of the wires for easy attachment when re-assembled down in the castle. The archway was to be placed down in the lower part of the tower where it connected to the storage room. Wires and cables would be strung down the center of the circular stairway and attached down in the lower tower doorway to the top of the tower where the console and generator would be located. The wires and cables would then be attached to a console that Brody could control. The generator had a separate attachment to the console.

  Dr. Ryan called a meeting before noon to discuss their journey into the netherworld.

  He wanted to show everyone the results of their hard work. He connected up the DRD equipment with the computer.

  “I can’t wait to see the completed diagram of the castle once the program has finished the download,” he said as he anxiously watched the screen.

  The computer program took a few minutes to sync up the data. After making a few corrections for “noise” from the program, a three dimensional figure of the castle appeared.

  “We’ll have to take a paper copy of the diagr
am with us on the rescue mission,” said Dr. McNamara impressed with the clarity of the diagram. “I’m not sure if electronics will work in the netherworld and I don’t want to take any chances.”

  In any other circumstance, Dr. Ryan would be ecstatic to have such a fantastic historical find. But his excitement was tempered by his resolve to rescue Tevan and hopefully Father Fahey, especially after what they had experienced the past couple of days.

  “I feel fairly confident that Father Fahey will be with Tevan. At least I hope so,” said Dr. McNamara with a worried look.

  “I hope so too,” said Dr. Ryan nodding in agreement. “It certainly will help to make our rescue easier. If he was taken to the dungeon tower instead of the lower dungeon, then we’ll have a much bigger problem.”

  The group turned the discussion to the details of the rescue mission. Dr. Ryan and Dr. McNamara would be heading the team into the netherworld. They reluctantly agreed to let Patrick go as he would not be deterred from his resolve to save his son.

  “You realize the risk involved don’t you?” Dr. Ryan asked Patrick with a stern look. “If we’re unsuccessful, there’s a chance we could be left in the netherworld.”

  “I understand the risk,” answered Patrick defensively, “but I can’t sit around doing nothing.”

  “Since we aren’t part of the curse in the netherworld, we could be injured or even killed,” added Dr. McNamara trying to point out how dangerous it could be.

  “We’ll let you come as far as the tower. You’ll have the job of holding the rope and giving the signal once we return with Tevan and Father Fahey,” said Dr. Ryan putting his hand on Patrick’s shoulder.

  Patrick was visibly not happy with the decision but at least he was going.

  Since he and Dr. McNamara had already been to all parts of the castle, they knew where they needed to go. Tevan and Father Fahey would most likely be in the lower dungeon below the well room next to the kitchen. They also had to consider the possibility that Faelan could be in the potion room. They were also going to need some kind of disguise to at least buy them some time to get to the dungeon before being discovered. They were also hopeful that Prince Nuallan and his men would be willing to help with the escape.

  “If we have any chance of pulling off this rescue, we’ll need Prince Nuallan’s help. That means we’ll need to collect as many of the swords and shields as we can to arm them. We can stash them in the supply room next to the soldier’s hall which will be close to our route of escape,” said Dr. Ryan drawing a makeshift map in the dirt with a stick.

  “I’ve been working on something that might help you. It’s the least I could do,” said Aine as she stood up holding an object in her hand. “Since we aren’t sure if electronic devices will be useful, I’ve come up with dart guns powered by small Co2 tanks like this one. The darts will be tipped with a tranquilizer to knockout the guards. Once you render the guards unconscious, you can take their clothing as a disguise to get close to Tevan and Father Fahey.”

  “They will likely be sent by Faelan to check out any disturbances felt from our entry into the netherworld. By using the remote pulse generators in the other three towers at the same time as our entry, it should minimize the number of guards sent to our tower,” said Dr. Ryan pointing to his crude dirt diagram.

  “So that will give us time to change into the guard clothing and find Tevan and Father Fahey,” added Dr. McNamara nodding his head.

  “I hate to suggest this but we’re going to have to go down into the castle one last time to collect the swords and shields.”

  “That’s two trips in one day,” said Dr. McNamara as his face changed to a frown. “We already have the two from our first trip but that may not be enough.”

  “Aye and we will have our hands full carrying the swords and shields back up the tower. That’s going to leave us vulnerable if we are attacked again,” added Dr. Ryan with concern in his voice.

  “I hope we don’t meet that creature again,” replied Dr. McNamara shaking his head.

  “Looks like you are going to need my help,” said Patrick waving his hand enthusiastically.

  “No Patrick, I’ll go,” responded Father O’Brian as he quickly stood up. “I can’t let you risk going down and being attacked. You have a family to take care of.”

  “But Tevan!” argued Patrick loudly.

  “Not this time,” interrupted Dr. Ryan as he held up his hand. “You’ll get to go with us when we enter the netherworld.”

  “You better hurry,” said Aine as she sat back in her chair and looked up into the blue sky, “the lunar eclipse is tomorrow night. We’re running out of time to get everything done.”

  The three men hurried over to the tower. With the castle now mapped, there would be no need for the DRD.

  Brody quickly went over how to use the pulse device with Father O’Brian.

  “Any questions?” asked Brody.

  “No, I get it,” replied Father O’Brian looking down at the device.

  With renewed determination Dr. Ryan, Dr. McNamara, and Father O’Brian made their way up the ladder to the top of the tower. It was early afternoon. Brody handed them a two meter pole and a large leather pouch to collect the shields and swords.

  “Dr. McNamara and I will carry the pole and leather pouch to collect the weapons. Father O’Brian, you’ll watch our backs,” instructed Dr. Ryan as he patted himself on the back.

  “I’ve got you covered,” said Father O’Brian with a nod.

  He was worried about going down into the castle after what the others had told him. He didn’t want to meet the demon but his desire to help rescue Tevan and Father Fahey was greater.

  Brody grabbed the handle on the trap door on top of the tower and laid it open. Dr. Ryan stepped onto the stairway and headed down the steps. He had one end of the pole. Dr. McNamara followed him holding the other end of the pole. Father O’Brian entered last. He looked up as he descended the stairs to see the sunlight fade as he went lower into the castle.

  The group quickly made their way down the tower stairs to the supply room.

  “Keep your eyes sharp,” cautioned Dr. McNamara as he looked around himself.

  “We only need to collect about eight of the shields and swords for Prince Nuallan,” said Dr. Ryan as he stood in the middle of the supply room. “I don’t think there are going to be more soldiers than that given the size of the dungeon room.”

  “I think there were about four or five weapons in the stable area,” remarked Dr. McNamara trying to recall their previous trips.

  “There were a few more in the soldier’s hall,” added Dr. Ryan as he pointed over his shoulder.

  Father O’Brian pushed the door wider to the stables to allow the other two more room to pass. Dr. McNamara and Dr. Ryan laid the pole down on the floor and looked around the room. Dr. McNamara pulled out some pieces of rope from off his shoulder. Dr. Ryan held the large leather pouch in his hand and walked around the room looking for swords with an emerald crystal in the handle.

  He picked up the first one with both hands and looked at it closely. It was made of fine steel. The handle was etched with a Celtic design not unlike the protective symbol on the shield. Just above the grip of the handle was a small green emerald crystal that matched the one in the center of the shield. He placed the sword in his hand and swung it carefully. It seemed to have perfect balance.

  He slid the sword into the leather pouch. He then searched the floor for other swords and slid each one carefully into the long leather pouch. He was able to find five swords. He handed the pouch to Father O’Brian who placed the leather strap over his head and onto his back.

  Dr. McNamara was attaching loops of rope through the shield handles to hang them on the pole.

  Father O’Brian went over to help pick up one of the shields but was waved off by Dr. Ryan.

  “We don’t want to take any chances with swords touching shields and setting off pulses,” Dr. Ryan said shaking his head.

  They were a
ble to collect five shields which were now hanging from the pole. They carefully picked up both ends of the pole and placed each end on their right shoulders. As they began to move the shields started clanging together. The three men stopped and held their breath waiting for the noise to stop.

  Father O’Brian slowly moved his hand to the pulse device. Nothing else happened. Dr. McNamara and Dr. Ryan breathed a sigh of relief.

  “We should have anticipated the shields clanging together,” remarked Dr. McNamara as he tried to hold the shield nearest him still.

  “Let’s get the rest of them and get out of here as quickly as we can,” replied Dr. Ryan as he looked over his shoulder.

  The two made their way carefully back through the stable door with Father O’Brian close behind them. With each step the shields swayed in rhythm and occasionally clanged together.

  The group turned left in the supply room and walked towards the door leading to the gathering hall. The two pole bearers paused in front of the west supply door as they waited for Father O’Brian to open the door wider for them to enter.

  “Father, could you please enter first and keep the floor lit in front of us so we don’t step on anything,” requested Dr. McNamara as he shifted the pole on his shoulder.

  “Sure,” replied Father O’Brian as he glanced into the room.

  He passed through the doorway and stood to the side shining his headlamp across the floor in front of other two men. He could feel the air temperature drop considerably. He noticed small, bright lights floating in the air from the other side of the room. Father O’Brian felt fear starting to swell inside him.

  “Are those the orbs?” he asked with his finger next to the pulse device button.