In Athlethan the air was thick and heavy, it was difficult to take a breath. Dread arose in the chest of all and felt heavy on the lungs. This palpable horror that made them feel breathless and weak, doubting their ability to fight. No one could bring hope, it felt like only the appearance of Tuatha, with all the armies of the north, could have lifted the mood and improved morale.

It was the Triune gas that caused this. Amerghin had learned a technique of releasing the smoky gas from the rocks that were harvested from near the fiery Mt. Triune. Heated on fires upwind from the city, the foul-smelling smoke that was produced settled over the city.

The walls of the city that formed a barrier between them and the enemy now became a curse as they stopped the breezes from the ocean from blowing the smoke away. It permeated every crack in windows and doors, the smell lingered on everything, causing nausea and the ever-present anxiety.

Ruad was not proud of his idea, and he was disappointed that Amerghin had stolen it and made it his. Amerghin wanted the glory for himself, to gain favour from Mac Roth. Ruad had told Morann, and her heart ached for her people in Athlethan. Yet again Ruad felt he had caused pain in Morann, but once more she forgave him. Ruad held Morann in a tight embrace, crying forlornly into her neck.

After Ruad had left, called back to speak with Amerghin, Morann went looking for Queen Dagemar. She was feeling low and desolate. She felt sick from the pregnancy and her time was close. The streets of Enna-Aignech were empty and gloomy. She had left Dare with a nurse and felt tired and teary. She missed Caer Omaith dreadfully.

She ran up the steps of the guest quarters of the palace and knocked weakly. After being let in she was shown to the rooms where Queen Dagemar was residing.

When she saw her, she collapsed and cried. The Queen jumped up and lifted her to her feet, holding her tight.

“Oh, my dear girl,” she cried, helping her up and into a chair, holding her head to her chest, “what is the matter?

Morann gasped weakly as the Queen helped her to lie on her bed.

“I’m so worried about Ruad and my sister. For Athlethan, its people. Ruad told me they were using the gas to subdue them. I’m so afraid,” she said weakly.

“As am I,” said Queen Dagemar, Caressing her forehead gently. “We must do something to help. There is a remedy for the smoke you know.” She said quietly.

Morann looked up at her hopefully. “What is it? Can we tell them somehow?”

“We can, and I will,” she said. “I will get a message to Ardan of Esclarmonde whom I met when he was passing through my home, so long ago now.” She looked off into the distance, remembering the visit of Tuatha and his three friends. Of her daughter Laegaire running away over the rocks of Mt. Dagemar when Amerghin’s forces had captured her. She had no idea where she was and constantly reached out with her mind. Hoping she was safe and well. She could never had imagined that she had somehow made her way with Tuatha halfway around the Deep Lands and that she was now a grandmother.

Suddenly Morann cried out and water gushed across the floor.

“The baby is coming,” she said breathlessly as the pain washed over her. “Send a message to Ruad, our baby is coming.”

Ardan was standing on the wall of Athlethan, staring across the vast armies of Mac Roth. Alongside him was his brother Naoise and Fiall, leaned against his chest. They were all tense, worried, and felt ill like the rest of the city.

Unexpectedly, he felt pain in his head. He clutched at it and cried out. Fiall fell slightly and recovered as Ardan fell to his knees. She turned and put her arm around his shoulders placing him onto the ground.

“Ardan! What is wrong?” she said.

The others knelt alongside him, and he became unconscious as far as Fiall and Naoise were concerned.

But he was not unconscious. The pain slowly subsided, and a noise was filling his mind. Faintly he could hear a voice, like he was in a blizzard and was searching for someone. He began to search in this blizzard, trying to pinpoint the voice. It became clearer for a short time, then faded again. He was losing concentration, and the pain came back. He focussed and the pain left, so he focussed harder, and the voice returned. A woman’s voice, a gentle voice he recognised. “Ardan…Ardan…” he heard. He focussed harder and her voice became even clearer. “Ardan, find the Clove wort plant…remedy,” and then he awoke suddenly lying on the cold stone atop the walls of Athlethan, in Fiall’s arms.

“What happened?” she asked with a concerned look on her face.

Ardan sat up and stood, dusting down his clothes. “It was peculiar thing, like nothing I have ever felt before. Pain, then a voice in my head.”

“Maybe you are stressed, you should rest,” said Fiall leaning up to his face and kissing him. “What did it say?”

I think it sounded like Queen Dagemar who I met on her mountain, just after met Tuatha, she said my name several times to make me come closer and then said two strange words. Clove wort and then remedy.”

“We must go and report this,” said Ardan, “it’s worth following up.” They made their way down the wall and hurried to the palace.

Tethra was there when they arrived. He had finally risen from his bed, and he still looked weak from the effect of his wound, there was a look of loss still in his eyes.

When Ardan told him what he had experienced he reacted swiftly. “It is Queen Dagemar, she has used Riangbra to give us a message. We must find this remedy. Where is old Rhiannon the keeper of the Chronicles? She will know what this Clove wort is and how to prepare it.”

Rhiannon was quickly found, and her description of the plant and some very clever drawings were given to some volunteers who left the city via secret paths to the mountains in search of the herb called Clove wort.

It was not long before it had been found and was harvested in large amounts. It grew in abundance along most waterways around Athlethan.

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Rhiannon instructed that it should be thrown on the fires of all homes with a fireplace in its green state. The smoke it produced had an almost immediate effect. People fanned it through their homes first then allowed it to go up the chimney. Its pungent aroma was strong but was better than the gaseous smell that had been infiltrating the city. Before long the air, although still hazy with the smoke, was free of the smoky triune gas and breathable, hope began to rise in the hearts in the people and soldiers.

***

“That is enough,” said Amerghin, having seen the smoke rising from the chimneys in Athlethan, realising they had foiled his plan. “We attack now!”

It was late afternoon and horns were blown across the Dark Lords army. A roar grew and shields clashed against swords creating a noise that welled up and faded and welled up again across Athlethan in an alarming manner.

The army of Mac Roth were itching to fight. They had been waiting a long time for this and the anger and resentment had been building up over the four cycles of respite. They had lived in Enna Aignech and had done nothing but wait, eat, and sleep, all they wanted was to get home to their lives. They would have sooner left if the waiting had gone on any longer. Amerghin used all the techniques to keep the soldier’s morale high. He had done so well, barely any had left. More even turned up from the dark city. A few Emim giants even turned up, dissatisfied with their lives, and hoping for some plunder.

Now these men were champing at the bit, eager to get it over with, claim some loot and go home to live their promised, comfortable lives.

***

Tethra had prepared well. Many more people had now been trained warriors in the art of Riangbra. Cathabad had trained four hundred more young men in the warrior way over the period of respite.

Old King Ailell, consulted regularly with the generals, giving his advice on battle tactics.

“This is it,” said Tethra to King Fernmaige. “It’s now or never, this is to be Athlethan’s last stand.”

Fernmaige nodded as the first horns were blown in the enemy camp and the Black soldiers began advancing on the white walls of Athlethan.

When they came within arrow shot, the thousands of trained archers behind the walls fired arrow after arrow, a thousand arrows every minute, fell on the advancing soldiers and that was in one of the four sections of attack around the walls. Tuatha had ordered many arrows to be made. There were piles of them all over the city. Runners, young children, bundled them up and kept the archers quivers full. Spotters told them when to fire and the practice they had done made their shots highly effective against the tightly packed and advancing soldiers.

Many soldiers died or were wounded and retreated if they could. Soon bodies began to stack up in those areas. Any soldiers that made it through this barrage were picked off by a thousand more sharp shooters on the walls.

Several giants with massive hammers tried to run at the gates but their eyes became targets and arrows coated with burning pitch, stuck in their skin, and burned them causing them to howl in pain.

***

Ruad watched his army falling and ordered the whole army to advance.

As he watched, a runner appeared, “My Lord, your child is coming, Morann calls for you.”

Ruad groaned, it was a terrible time for this to happen. But he had to stay as so much relied on his tactics. He sent a message back with the runner and emptied his mind of Morann and their child.

The rough terrain around the city stopped the soldiers from running toward the city walls. The ladders that were meant to be used to scale the walls were not making it to the walls at all.

Ruad could not believe what was happening. The armies of Athlethan had so many archers, his soldiers were falling fast. So much death, he was at an impasse in his mind. He hoped beyond all hope that something would stop this battle.

Ruad sent a message to the generals for them to hold their shields over their heads and the leaders in front to hold the shields before them to form a barrier. They were to walk in this way toward the wall, protecting the ladder bearers.

They advanced slowly and began to approach the wall. The archers adjusted the arrows trajectory and they still fell, thick and fast.

Soon Ruad’s own archers were within reach of the walls, and they began to fire over the wall. But Tethra had been ready, his archers had specially built structures for the archers to hide under when they were not firing or reloading their quivers. When arrows came their way, the spotters would signal them to hide. After the arrows landed, they stepped back out and resumed the offensive.

Amerghin was furious, he screamed at Ruad to signal a retreat. He had expected them to overwhelm the defence, but they had been devastated by the flying death from the air. There seemed to be no way in without losing many soldiers.

“Why can’t you work out a way?” he yelled at Ruad. “You are meant to be a general, the tactician, work it out!”

Ruad shrugged and turned to signal a retreat, when the bugles sounded the soldiers began retreating and a cheer arose from within the city of Athlethan.

They had held off the first attack, but many wondered what tactic Ruad and Amerghin would adapt to, in the next battle.

Ruad commanded a horse to be provided and he rode fast to Morann’s quarters. He arrived to Morann’s screams of pain. When his arrival was announced Dagemar came out to see him.

“It’s a difficult birth,” she said to the worried Ruad, “but she is strong and determined, do not worry.”

Ruad ran in and over to Morann’s side.

“Where were you?” she said angrily. He kissed her on the forehead and allowed her to squeeze his hand as another contraction came over her tired body. It had been half a day cycle since it began and Morann was weakening. A day cycle of battle, Ruad could tolerate but a few cries of pain from the mouth of his love and he was already exhausted with worry.

Morann lay back, sweat pouring from her face. She grinned weakly at Ruad. “I am going to make this happen now,” she said a steely determination coming across her face. The midwife nodded in agreement. “Yes, if you push hard, it may be all over in a few moments.”

When the contractions came, Morann no longer groaned with the pain, she was determined and sure enough a few moments later they had a daughter. Ruad picked her up, wiping her and wrapping her in a warm towel. He held the screaming baby and smiled. “Imchad,” he said. Morann’s brows furrowed. “Why that name?” she said. “I do not know; it just came over me. It seems right.” Replied Ruad. For a brief moment, the thought of his nemesis Tuatha flashed through his mind, but he dismissed it quickly. The name Imchad seemed familiar to him, but he did not know where from. Unknowingly to both Ruad and Tuatha, they had a stronger link than they realised, bound to their destinies that would one day meet.

Later that evening, Ruad and Amerghin discussed plans and came up with some ideas. They ordered the giants to construct massive wooden shields from the trees. Soon the landscape was quite different as Athlethan’s magnificent trees were felled. Many in the city wept as they saw the destruction of the landscape. But this was the evil that came out of greed and desire for revenge that came out of envy for those who lived good lives and cared for the land.

The next day the walls, built on wheels were pushed by the giants ahead of the columns of men. But the terrain again caused them problems. Emim would duck out to lift a rock out of the way and their skin became painful patches of burning pitch that coated the arrow tips. It was not long before no giant wanted to venture beyond the shields and the shield carts ground to a halt. They left it to the cover of darkness and tried to advance in the night. But the moon was bright, the archers still found their marks.

After a fruitless night, Amerghin and Ruad met with Mac Roth. He seemed unperplexed by their failures.

“Do not think they will hold us off, our army is too large,” he said in a snarling voice. “Your inability to achieve results has meant I have thought of this.”

He opened plans on the table. They were for a massive structure on wheels that had incorporated shielded ladders as high as the walls of Athlethan and shields in front of the wheels so a giant could move rocks out of the path of these siege towers, relatively safely.

It took half a cycle to have enough of them built. There were skirmishes over this time.

***

Behind the walls of the city, Tethra, King Fernmaige and king Aillel along with all the people who could see from the walls, watched the slow construction of these massive war machines, with some trepidation.

Tethra continued to recover and gain strength and before long he felt strong once more, ready to face the enemy.

The people had prepared food stores to last nearly two cycles. They had expected a siege but not these siege towers that threatened to end their defence quickly.

The Rochad horsemen made regular early morning sorties, harassing the front lines but gave up as the enemy archers caused too many losses of their own warriors and they retreated behind the walls of Athlethan.

The same for the armies of Mac Roth, they attacked a few more times and gave up, waiting for the siege towers to be built, placing all their dark hopes, full of greed and desire, on these constructed towers.

And so, continued the long siege of Athlethan as they waited in hope for Tuatha to arrive, if he ever did, with the help he had promised.