| |
WHEN NUALA FINALLY stopped, the trio stood in front of a small door. She pulled a large gold key from a chain around her neck. She unlocked the door hurriedly and motioned them past her into the sanctuary of a walled garden.
***
CIAN AND COLIN WERE already in the garden waiting for Teagan and Aidan. How she didn’t know. When he saw them, Colin hurried over to her.
“What’s wrong Teagan? You’re as white as a ghost.” He asked worriedly.
“I think there’s trouble in paradise, and we’d better hurry and get this done. The Queen is gone. Lunn is gone, and they think I did it.” She answered him panting slightly as she tried to catch her breath from the run.
“Damn.” Cian swore loudly, and looked at Nuala and asked, “How long do we have?”
“We must hurry and do the ritual before the sun sets or we’ll have to wait until tomorrow, and there is no time to waste with them hunting for Teagan. Did you bring Aoife’s body?” Nuala asked as she walked towards him.
“Yes, it’s over here.” Colin answered pointing at Aoife’s shrouded body. The body was so eerily still, it was hard for Teagan to believe that it was still alive.
“Good. Teagan, you need to stand here.” Nuala said as she placed Teagan directly at the head of the body. “Cian her soul will be confused as I call it forth, so you are going to need to guide it back to her own body. Can you do that?” She questioned in a businesslike manner.
“Yes.” Colin said fervently, “I can do it. I will be her anchor.”
“It’s very important that no one speaks during the ritual.” She gazed steadily at each one of us in turn, and then she continued. “Son, you and Aidan need to guard the door and let us know when they arrive.”
Nuala remained firmly in command of the situation. As Aidan and Colin went to the door, Teagan turned in time to see Cian as he took Aoife’s hand reverently in his. “Here we go,” Teagan thought, “please let this work.” She sent up silent prayer to anyone that might be listening.
Just then the ritual started, and Teagan watched in fascination as Nuala raised her arms to the sky and her sleeves and hair billowed in the magically induced winds. Nuala chanted rhythmically in an ancient Faean language. At first, Teagan didn’t understand what she was saying, but she reached for the Fae inside and gradually the words began to unravel in her mind. As Teagan stood there, a sudden rush of wind blew several loose strands of her copper hair back from her face and her eyes widened with understanding. She had a fluent understanding of the words! It was impossible but true.
Teagan listened as her grandmother pleaded with the ancients to guide Aoife’s soul from Teagan’s body back to her own, and Teagan held her breath as Nuala looked upward, chanting in earnest. A loud thunder-like crack sounded overhead. At the same moment, Teagan saw a green mass of energy rise from the ground. She watched speechlessly as the green mist swirled around Aoife’s soulless body. After just a moment, part of the energy seemed to settle on the body and the green mist melded into the pale creamy skin. Teagan’s eyes widened even farther in disbelief when Aoife’s body released a golden swirling mist.
As the two energies intertwined, green and gold mingled in and intricate sparkling design. The swirls that the two mists formed became faster and larger as they whipped erratically around Aoife’s body. All of the sudden, they disappeared into the body leaving Teagan, Cian, and Nuala to lean forward in anticipation. Just as Teagan was sure nothing else would happen, the entwined energy masses burst forth curling out from Aoife’s body like the branches of an old, gnarled oak. In a flash of blinding light, the swirling mass lunged at Teagan. She stumbled backward a step, looking at Cian for reassurance. Teagan was afraid. She wanted to run. Cian eyes pleaded with her to stay still and let the ancient magic work. His hand clasped Aoife’s hand tighter and he leaned over her stroking her hair soothingly.
By the grace of some unknown force, Teagan was able to stand still as the glowing mass of energy encircled her entire body and danced lightly on her skin. Where it touched her, the magical mass of energy felt like hundreds of fingers probing her body. As she stood there rigidly, she felt a tightening against her arms as if they were being held against her side against her will. Unable to move and scared, Teagan froze as she felt her mouth being forced open by the inhuman fingers and she felt the raw power of the energy and its magic as it entered her body. Teagan stiffened and closed her eyes biting back a scream.
She stood that way for too long, not being able to move, scared out of her mind, trusting her grandmother to intervene if something were to go wrong, when all of the sudden she felt a release from deep inside. She opened her eyes and realized she was crying. Through blurred vision, Teagan watched as a shimmering translucent form eased itself from her body and stood floating in front of her. Within seconds, the form gained color, turning silver. It was as if, by some magic, Teagan could feel Aoife’s soul standing there in front of her. It seemed hesitant to leave, unsure of where to go.
While Teagan stood there, feeling as if a piece of her had been violently ripped from her body, tears ran in streams down her face. She noticed Cian staring in wonder at the form which loomed in front of her. The silver form slowly turned towards Cian and Teagan watched as he closed his eyes in concentration. Teagan realized that he was trying to communicate telepathically with Aoife’s soul through their bond. Cian was trying to guide Aoife’s soul back to her own body. Teagan looked on in amazement as he opened his eyes and looked down at Aoife’s body. Suddenly, the form swirled into motion and started floating towards the body. When it reached the body, it seemed to melt into it and suddenly the form vanished.
Nuala lowered her arms looking wearily at Cian. He reached down and pulled the veil from Aoife’s shrouded face. Concentration evident on her face, Teagan stood silently staring at Aoife’s face for any sign of movement. Teagan’s sacrifice was rewarded as she saw one of Aoife’s eyelashes flutter. Then both fluttered and miraculously her eyes opened. Cian cried out in relief and bent to kiss Aoife passionately as she clung to him, slightly dazed. Teagan turned happily, with a triumphant smile on her face, intending to give them a moment of privacy and saw her father and Aidan barreling towards them. Teagan’s smile vanished instantly, alarm bells ringing in her mind. Nuala noticed at the same instant and she reached over to grab Teagan’s hand tightly.
The thudding grew in intensity until the door to Nuala’s little sanctuary caved and splintered under the violent onslaught. There were too many of them to count, as they poured in through the opening they’d created. Colin and Aidan were easily overrun, and Teagan cried out as both of them were roughly seized.
“There’s the traitor, get her.” One of them yelled, and they charged Teagan. She didn’t fight. She couldn’t. There was too many of them.
She closed her eyes and waited.
Someone grabbed her arms and yanked them behind her back, tying them as they did so. These binds were like the ones Cian had used on her, of the magical variety. She remained still. Calm. But only on the outside. On the inside the ancients whirled in her mind furiously. When Aoife had left her body, something in Teagan had been set free. Raw. Unbridled. Power. The ancients hummed through her veins, through her blood, feeding her their knowledge and power.
The humming inside her grew to a crescendo as the Fae warriors roughly subdued her, and she watched more of them grab Nuala. She could feel the power growing to a peak. A terrible awful peak that had been left dormant for too long and now threatened to explode out of her. She was no longer Teagan McKenna. She was a force outside herself. Beyond. She was the ancients.
The power crackled. It threatened to tear her apart, and she feared it would. This would be her last act. This would be how she saved them all. She knew her destiny, and she wasn’t scared. She squeezed her eyes tightly closed. “Aidan, I love you.” She sent through their telepathic link.
“Don’t you do this!” He yelled at her from across the garden, struggling to free himself from his captors to get to her, but she had no choice.
––––––––
To Be Continued... (Please don’t kill me, XoXo)