Novels2Search

Chapter 20

Congratulations, you have completed the quest Uncover the past II.

You have received a new quest.

Quest: Uncover the past III Description: There are many truths out there learn the third. (Emain Ablach)

Alanna considered the fog momentarily before ignoring it. So, in all of the revelations there was another truth. What was it? There was no description of what she should be learning. It was irritating. She was grateful for more information but how arbitrary were these quests? Were they even necessary. Was the land or her mind or whatever was conjuring the fog screen actually trying to impart something important? She would have to focus on everything she learned and try to understand. Yet now was not the time. She had hosts still staring at her from the dinner table. At least this time there was a location in the description. That was something at least.

Grainne walked with Alanna back toward the guest bedroom of the keep. "Are you well Alanna? The leannán sídhe asked. Alanna smiled at the woman and nodded. "I am well Grainne, I just feel like I am being pulled around by some greater destiny. I thought this was supposed to be something different something fun and exciting and it is, but I was only trying to take control of my life by jumping into this whole quest thing. I did not want to be led about by others yet I feel compelled by a promise and quest a former me made more than a millennia ago."

She sighed and stared up at the stone ceiling. "It's a life forced on me still. This time I forced it on myself. Now instead of doing what I really want to do and master myself further, I am called forward toward destiny." She snorted in derision. Grainne did not reply but led Alanna out past the guest hall and out of the keep altogether. She led them to the gazebo where she sat with the druidess and they looked out at the setting sun.

"I am not upset at you or Medb." Alanna said after a moment. "I am a bit concerned that one of the old gods knows I am around but that is because while I have the memories of Nuada and accept I was Nuada. I am no longer exactly Nuada. Does that make sense?" Grainne looked sympathetic and shrugged. "I have never been mortal. I do not understand anything about what you did to yourself. How you created a soul doesn't make sense to me." She explained. "I am faery, we simply are. when this form is destroyed I'll come back again." Alanna frowned. and looked up at the sky enjoying the pink and orange on the horizon. She did not know what to say and neither did Grainne. So they sat and watched the sun set.

The next few days were fairly standard training days. With her impending journey to wherever Emain Ablach was, Alanna decided to spend as much time as she could learning from the teachers she had. Sétanta had shown her the best of the spear forms he knew and even worked on the basic sword forms. There were quite a few more forms for the sword as it was smaller and had a different shape. It had far more angles to both defend and attack from along with the difference in reach. She found that she preferred the spear and with time running slowly out before her departure. She focused on that weapon.

The Dryad Lulura had been focused on her growth spell primarily and with her newfound ability to track the thread of power back into herself she found it easier to change her growth from simple bramble and ivy to almost predatory pitcher plants with thick ropelike stems used to trip and grapple. If the target was light enough they would even try to digest them. It was quite different from what it had started as. She could feel there was a long way to go with it though.

Her other spells had not seen much advancement in the short time the dryad had been instructing her. However, she was forced to use her wild shape and after a few days she found her instincts were beginning to be repressed by her intelligent mind. This was a relief and it took the dryad completely restraining her and forcing the intelligent mind to find a way out of the predicaments. The final day of training she was able to utilize her nature magic to weaken the dryad's grasp on the plants enough that she escaped. It was quite surprising when her instincts did not immediately take over when she was finally freed. Alanna was grateful to the dryad even if the creature never stopped trying to feel her up. The talk with the queen had mellowed out Alanna's reactions to the creature and the druidess's own self reflection also helped her become a bit more comfortable with the attention. She was by no means ready or willing to entertain other activities but she was no longer so quick to anger about it. Some people just liked to touch and while she found it weird she knew that some humans acted similarly.

Alanna packed away her few belongings in the pack her grandfather had gifted her. She smiled at the memory of her family. She knew she would see them again soon. She just hoped it was not more than a few days that had passed. She had asked just about everyone about the time difference but time to immortal creatures was not really a concept they could perceive in the same way as a normal human. That was fairly clear by the seeming lack of technological advancement from the 7th or 8th century. She knew several of the denizens of the otherworld had been above yet while they were confused by the advancements it was so alien to them they could not conceptualize how to develop similarly. Further, they were usually reconstituted in the underworld when they inevitably were killed by organizations that likely existed to ensure the "demons were returned to hell." She knew there were a few organizations in the church that investigated certain supernatural events and was fairly certain most governments had top secret groups as well. It was pure speculation but given what she now knew as truth, others would have to know.

She finished packing the last few belongings when she came upon a small box that held 4 large seeds. She had forgotten all bout the seeds and the few trinkets she salvaged from the boggarts. She could feel the life inside the seeds but it felt distant almost as if they were dormant. She would have to ask Lulura if she could sense anything about them before she left. So, she set the box aside and scooped up the few trinkets she had then tossed them into the pack.

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Grainne stopped by shortly after she finished packing and held out a leather satchel. "I had this made for you." She said with a slight blush. Alanna took it with a grateful nod and smile then opened it. The satchel was nicely made and had a bronze fastener attached to the leather to seal it shut. There was room for a book or journal but also room for other items including a small inner pouch that was hidden to store a few of her precious items if she wished. "Thank you Grainne!" Alanna exclaimed. She pulled out one of the trinkets she had just put away and handed a small piece of jet to the woman. "Something to remember our little adventure. When I come back through here you can tell me about why you were there in the first place." The leannán sídhe snorted at that and shook her head then yelped in surprise as Alanna embraced her. "Sorry I did not get to know you better. I appreciate you being available for me to speak with the past few days. It meant a lot to me." Grainne sighed and clasped her arms around the taller woman's back. "Yeah," she muttered as they backed away from one another. They shared a few more pleasantries before Alanna placed the seed box into her new satchel, picked up her blackthorn staff, and walked out toward the keep entrance, Grainne in tow.

Lulura stared at the seeds, wonder clear in her expression. "Where did you get these?" The dryad asked as she gently stroked the seeds. Alanna explained they were the treasure guarded by the boggarts and the dryad could only laugh in exasperation. "Do you know what they are?" Alanna asked. "I can feel they have power and life inside of them but I do not know what type of plant they are." The dryad shook her head in the negative as she stroked them lovingly. "I do not know exactly but they feel familiar to me like a memory that has faded." She smiled softly and looked up at Alanna. "You should plant them in a protected place." "You do not want them?" Alanna asked but the dryad was shaking her head even as Alanna started speaking. " No this is not the place. They do not exactly speak to me as most plants do but I still get strong feelings about them. For instance, I know they are something special and I get the feeling they should not be planted to close together either. Perhaps you will find a place for them in your journey."

Alanna nodded in understanding then slipped the box back into her satchel. Then moved back a few steps from the dryad. "Thank you for teaching me to control both my growth spell and my shapeshifting. I am grateful." The dryad smiled sweetly and nodded then stepped forward and wrapped Alanna in a deep embrace. Alanna sighed as she felt strong hands grasping her behind and rolled her eyes when the dryad inhaled her scent with a shudder before letting her go and stepping back. The unamused druidess just shook her head and walked away with a wave over her shoulder. She did not see the smirk on the dryad's face nor the twinkle in the creature's eyes.

The walk toward the gate leading out of the town was a bit difficult for Alanna. She did not really know the people here but she enjoyed the company of Medb, Grainne, and even Sétanta had grown on her a bit. She was unsure if her weapon trainer liked her all that much but she enjoyed his company when he stopped being so monosyllabic and grunty. Still, they had formed a semblance of connection which made a part of her, that she had long ago buried, happy. She would miss them even if she just started to know them. She was disappointed she did not get to meet and train under Scáthach but as she approached the gate and saw the warrior woman standing with crossed arms next to Queen Medb she was cautiously happy to at least get to meet her. Cautious because the woman had a scowl that deepened as she approached.

Queen Medb did not wait for Alanna to close the distance. She walked forward, embraced the druidess, and led her by the hand toward the warrior woman. She handed Alanna a large sack which held some dry rations of meat, bread and cheese. Alanna smiled and nodded at the queen. She was grateful she would not have to rely completely on her spell. "Alanna this is Scáthach she will guide you through the mists and perhaps beyond." Alanna stared in awe at the woman for a moment before she bowed her head. "A pleasure to meet you warrior." She said. "I had wondered how to go from here to there. I only saw but one path to travel when I entered this place." The queen looked confused by the statement for a moment then her expression changed with understanding. "Their is one path but it always leads to where you need to go even if not always where you want to go." Scáthach said then clasped Alanna by the arm and nodded to her. The woman stood eye to eye with Alanna and the druidess found herself slightly intimidated. "I will preform my duties as laid down by my pact. We can leave when you are ready." The woman then walked over to a large pack and shouldered it. Alanna nodded in understanding and acceptance and looked around then her expression changed to disappointment when she did not see Sétanta. She sighed then nodded at the warrior then started walking out of the town.

She made it past the guard she met on the first day and giggled to herself remembering their brief interaction. She heard a distant shout and turned to see Sétanta rushing toward the gate with a spear in hand. He reached her breathing heavily from the sprint and thrust the spear into her hands while taking the blackthorn staff and attaching it to her pack. "Take this and continue practicing. This spear was once important to me but now —" he paused and looked out into the distance. "It just reminds me of a past I would rather forget. Take it and keep up the practice." Alanna looked at the spear in her hand with awe then toward Sétanta with gratitude. "I will take care of it and continue training." She promised. The man nodded clapped her on the shoulder then turned and ran away.

Scáthach looked at the retreating man's back with a raised eyebrow then back toward the tall and powerfully built druid. She considered her for a few moments before turning and walking down the only visible path. Alanna smiled sadly as she looked back at the town. It was a short visit but she grew quite a bit here and not just in combat skills. A piece of her old self was healed in this place. She had a long way to go but this was good for her.

They traveled for what seemed several miles before the rolling hills disappeared and a new landscape started taking form. Grass started to become sparse and a rocky desert landscape took shape ahead. The came to a stop as the elevation decreased significantly and the dirt path they had been walking turned into a rock strewn wasteland. The sun hung high into the sky as morning began to give way to afternoon and Alanna could feel a change from its normal warm embrace to an oppressive heat. She removed her pack and took off her sweater and packed it away. "This is going to be unpleasant." She muttered as the pair looked out over the sun baked land. Scáthach grunted in agreement and started her decent carefully. With a sigh Alanna followed after her.