Day 2 of Midwinter, Nightfall
Midlands
Annwn
The world was finally quiet. The only sound from nature was the soft rustling of wind through the trees. I would have known the sound and the feel of that twilight wind in any realm. It was serene and utterly comforting.
My eyes lazily scanned the campsite. I could hear Morias snoring quietly under his robe. He was covered in ashes from having gotten too close to the fire when it was ablaze. Fí sat motionless, her back up against a log. She had her eyes closed and her hand on the handle of Stick. The horses were… gone.
My eyes shot fully open. I could only see outlines of shadows and darker shadows in the trees. An occasional twig snap near the tree line was the only thing that gave any indication that there might be movement somewhere out of visual range.
“Hey,” came a voice. I turned to see Fí in the same position, but now with one eye cracked open. “Don’t move.”
“What is it?”
“Don’t know.” She opened both eyes. “This realm is full of spirits and shapeshifters. And they love the wee hours of the morning. If I had to guess… a púca?”
“Are they…” I began.
“This again? Yes, they are dangerous. They can also be helpful. All depends on what they want from you.”
“Are the horses okay?”
“Gaoth is no dummy. He’ll be fine.”
We sat there in silence a while, each of us lost in our own thoughts. I was still hyperaware that a dangerous creature loomed on the outskirts of camp, but I felt better knowing that Fí was there. And for some reason, knowing that Morias could sleep in such a scary place made me think it couldn’t be THAT bad. Right?
Her voice startled me from my thoughts. “All depends on what they want from you,” Fí repeated thoughtfully. Was she still thinking about the púca?
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“What?” I wasn’t sure what we were talking about anymore.
She looked at me. “When I first saw you again on the top of that hill, I was disappointed.”
“Thanks,” I said sarcastically.
“I thought to myself… Nobody could be that stupid.”
I drew back at her unflattering words. “Why are you so mean to me? What did I do to you?”
“You’re putting yourself at risk!” She blurted out, startling some flying creatures in the trees above us into flying off into the night. Morias stirred but didn’t wake. “It is MY job to take the hits. It is MY job to die.”
“It is nobody’s job to die,” I said, unconvincingly. I was never really good at talking to people who were upset, and now it seemed to be happening more often than I was comfortable with.
“It has always been my duty.” Her voice was quieter, and she wasn’t looking at me anymore. “From the day I was gifted the Silverwhite… I knew that one day I would die for an honorable cause.”
I didn’t say anything. What could I say? I was completely out of my element. The things she was talking about took place hundreds, if not thousands, of years ago.
“I have been adrift for so long.” Her words seemed to catch in her throat. “A failure.”
“I don’t think you are a…”
“Shut up, Shorty…” I could hear a hint of vulnerability in her voice. “I failed to protect the one person I was supposed to protect.”
She hadn’t called me “Shorty” since before the encounter with the Cailleach Bhéara. I wondered what that was about. She had been calling me “kid” since our awkward re-introductions back on Wolves Hill. “Do you think I’m not worthy of protection? Is that why you’re angry with me?”
She gave me a frustrated look. “You don’t understand.”
“Explain it to me, then!” For the first time since all of this started, I could feel myself losing my cool. “You’re right; I don’t understand. But I’m doing my best.”
She sighed. “I am Ellyllon. We are born to serve the Tuatha Dé Danann.”
“Does Ellyllon mean your race or your profession?”
“Stop interrupting. And both.”
I just shook my head. I had so many questions.
“I served the High King Bres. Ellyllon that serve the king get these.” She motioned to her blades. “I liked Bres, but not everyone did. He was both Fomorian and Tuatha.”
“Oh.” I think I understood the problem. “So, the other gods kicked him out of power?”
“Yes.” I could see tears well in her eyes from across the small flames of our fire. “Things haven’t been good for a long time. I believe that’s why The Dagda sent me to find you. I didn’t understand his reasons, at first… not that he gave me any. But you got something in you, that’s sure enough.”
“But you still think I’m stupid?”
“Sure do.” She hesitated a moment. “But nobody has ever taken a shot for me before…and you took two.”
“That’s what friends do.”
She smiled at that. I don’t think she meant to. She certainly didn’t want me seeing it. But she smiled all the same. “You should get some sleep. I’ll keep an eye on things here.”
I nodded and laid back down. I was tired. It had been a very long day. How long had it even been? If the rise and fall of the sun stayed the same in both realms, I figured I had been on the run for almost 24 hours. There had been battles and death… including by my hand. That would take a while to process. “Goodnight, Fí,” I said, closing my eyes.
I heard her voice once more as I drifted off. “Hey Shorty…thank you.”