Day 12 of Midwinter, Nightfall

At Sea, Inis Fer Falga

Annwn

I stayed in my perch longer than I had expected, but it gave me time to establish that there were five or six Fomorians on the ship. I waited until I could tell that some of them were resting, and then I quietly shimmied back to where the anchor was. I chanced a peek onto the deck and saw two Fomorians, one of whom was steering the ship.

Tadg wasn’t even below deck. He was tied, hands bound behind his back, to the front mast. He was awake but groggy.

“Psst,” I whispered, trying to time my noises with the crashing of the waves.

He looked in my direction and cracked a half-smile. Actually, it looked more like he was having a stroke because only one-half of his face lifted. The other half was swollen and puffy. I started pulling myself up onto the deck, but at a tiny shake of his head, I slid back down.

I looked at him inquisitively, as if to say, “Why not?” He flicked his eyes to the ocean. That actually wasn’t a bad point. If I jumped out now, our best-case scenario was that I defeated all of the Fomorians...and then what? Would I really be able to pilot the ship with two people? Not likely. The worst-case scenario was that we both had to jump into the ocean. I thought again of the eye I had seen and suddenly understood Tadg's meaning.

I nodded and went back to my perch under the barmaid. After another few hours, the sky began to lighten from the direction we'd come from. Ahead I could make out a speck in the distance.

“Land!” one of the Fomorians yelled. I nearly fell into the water at the sudden loud noise. There was a commotion on the deck as the crew readied themselves to make landfall. I knew what that would mean for me. Whoever was on the lookout would surely be able to spot me easily in my current position. I would have to abandon the ship well before we got close to the island.

Over the next 30 minutes, the sky grew lighter and the island grew nearer. When I guessed we were around 10 minutes from landfall, I splashed down into the Well of Wisdom. Funny thing about that... I didn’t feel any wiser. In fact, because I had angled my jump to be close to the ship, I felt very unwise... due to my getting run over by the edge of the ship.

I rolled and rolled in the water, eventually righting myself before the rudder could clip me. At that point, I knew I was probably safe from being spotted, so I followed the ship toward the island. The water was choppy here as we approached the largest of the little islets, which I guessed was Inis Fer Falga. While there were other small strips of dry land, they were rocky and devoid of structures.

The island that stretched before me was not what I expected. For starters, there were almost as many ships here in this archipelago as there were in Brú na Dallta. Most were anchored ahead of me, but many were strewn throughout the inner islets. Also, this island was heavily fortified. Atop the wall running around the perimeter were more Fomorians than I had ever seen before. It seemed the Tuatha were incorrect in their assessment of how many Fomorians were left in Annwn.

Questions swirled in my mind as I braved the dark waves that threatened to drown me. I swam past The Whiskey Wind as she dropped anchor, finding myself on a rocky shore outside the wall. The wall must have been 20 or 30 feet tall in sections. To my right, I saw a small break in it. It was the only one I could see from my position on the shore.

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How could this island support so many people? It didn't look like there was enough square footage on this circular island to support the number of people in the boats I had seen. I began to think back to the meaning of two words-- Deep Realm--and the conversation I'd heard between Tethra and Oirneth. Was the Fomorian base underwater, or even under the island itself?

I pulled myself out of my own thoughts and came back to my surroundings. Tadg was still a prisoner on the ship. Tethra would likely take him via a smaller boat onto the island, and if I didn’t get inland soon, the guards on the wall would certainly spot me in the morning light.

I cautiously made my way to the opening in the wall. I tried to time my passing to a moment when passers-by were in fewer numbers. My Dark Vision was a huge boon, literally, as it gave me an advantage over the light-dependent guards. From the opening, I found some handholds that allowed me to climb atop the wall. It appeared a changing of the guards was happening, as there were fewer guards on the wall than I had seen from the water.

I looked out and scanned the top of the hill, which appeared to have been stripped of trees and foliage. There were definitely green grasses, mosses, and lichen growing between the scant buildings, but there were no gardens or fruit trees that I could see. At the very top of the hill stood a small tower that had the distinct look of a lighthouse.

To my right, across the small gap in the wall, a raven sat looking at me. It gave a small squawk. I wondered if it was trying to tell me something. Perhaps it was trying to warn me.

“What are we looking for, Runt?” a voice said, nearly making me jump out of my skin. I spun around, only to find the crouched form of Ruadan next to me.

“Farthing hell!"

“I thought we were being quiet.” There was that grin of his again, filling me full of mixed emotions. I had missed having him with me the last week, but I was unsure which side he was on.

I stared at him, unsure what to do. He solemnly returned my gaze before reaching out and pulling me into an embrace. And I, to my amazement, hugged him back.

He eyed my still-soaked clothes. “I can’t wait to hear all about how you managed to find your way to the Hidden Isle.”

“Is that what Inis Fer Falga means?” I asked.

“It actually means 'Isle of the Protected Men,' but I don’t know that the name is true any longer.” He pulled me into a standing position and motioned for me to follow him across the wall.

“Wait, Roo. There's so much we need to unpack here.”

“Yes, of course, but not HERE. The sea air makes my hair all fluffy. And don’t worry, you’ll be okay. Just stick with me. Besides, I get the feeling Cai is expecting you.”

His statement took me by surprise. How could Cai have known I would be coming to what was starting to sound like a magically protected island?

Still, I realized that I trusted Ruadan. I followed him to a stairwell and down the back side of the wall. We walked by several Fomorians heading toward the wall. The men and women towered over both of us, looking at me with menacing looks. Ruadan ignored them completely, humming a barely perceptible tune as he strolled past.

“Tadg is here,” I said, as we marched up a hill.

“Tethra’s mission was a success then? Excellent.”

“So, you were trying to capture him?”

Roo smiled and slapped me on the back. “Well, we would have preferred Caicher or Ethadon, but Tadg will do.”

I shook my head. “I have so many questions for you.”

“I know you do, Runt, and I promise we will have time for all of them. But your brother and King Neit will likely give you better answers than I can.”

We reached a cave far up on the hill, but still short of the lighthouse. On the horizon, I saw more islands than I could count. Some appeared to have fields and trees. Ruadan saw me looking. “We grow some of our food on these other fields, but it’s a dangerous gambit in these waters. The things that we plant here are enchanted to grow deeper roots. The enchantment makes the skins of the fruit thicker, but the sea air is surprisingly nourishing.”

Entering the cave's passage, I felt my ears pop from a pressure change. Up ahead, three staggered pillars flanked the path. Beyond the stone columns, the passage appeared to go on another few feet before ending abruptly.

Ruadan motioned to the space between the columns. “Come on, Runt, let’s get you some answers to those questions of yours.”