LIADAN VI

  “Why did you attack us if you wanted to take me to my family?” Liadan demanded, as Guillaume and Eógan stood on either side of her. Esker prodded the man in the green cloak forward with the cruel looking limb of some monstrous creature.

  The man placed his bow on the ground slowly and looked at Liadan with flinty eyes. “Your Pecht lied to us and summoned that demon to steal our souls!” The man jabbed a finger in Esker’s direction. “We were only trying to protect you.”

  “Which is why you snared me with vines?” Liadan answered skeptically.

  “Well…” The man turned and looked at his cloaked companion. “Crimthann thought that monster would grab you and run away, he tried to protect you. The demon attacked us first and now two of my companionsare dead.” His explanation was not convincing.

  “That-that, does not make any sense,” Liadan stammered. “You had your weapons drawn and Eógan barely escaped with his life.”

  “You try to kill me Niall!” Eógan added indignantly.

  “Crimthann caught you creeping in the forest and you lied to us Pecht.” Niall spat by Eógan’s feet.

  “Know you this man Liadan?” Eógan asked. “He said me he was your uncle.” Liadan frowned and shook her head. Eógan pointed the spear at Niall, stepped closer and removed a dagger that was tucked behind the man’s back.

  “I think there might be a peaceful resolution here,” Crimthann offered with a smile. “I am happy to tend to your wound Eógan. I would also like to check on Oengus and Ronan to make sure they do not need my aid. May I do that?” It was unclear who Crimthann was asking permission from.

  “I will go with him,” Eógan replied. “But Ronan…” He looked down at the bloody spear in his hands and then off into the woods. He shook his head. They walked over to the unmoving body of the man Esker had struck down, Esker followed closely behind.

  Liadan turned back towards Niall as Guillaume moved cautiously towards him to retrieve the man’s bow. “And what do you propose we do with you?” she asked.

  Niall shrugged ever so slightly, he did not display any signs of being concerned about his wellbeing. “I can lead you to your family, or you can let Crimthann and myself go.”

  Liadan looked at him incredulously. “You honestly expect me to believe that you know the location of my parents?”

  Once again Niall shrugged indifferently. “I know where the Gaídel are gathering, your parents might be among them.”

  Liadan was confused, Niall’s story was not adding up. “Why were you looking for me then?”

  “You have a bounty on your head,” he answered dispassionately. “You disfigured a Jotman noble and they want you punished.”

  “And you would turn a fellow Gaídel over to the Jotman?” she asked.

  “No skin on my teeth, I do what I need to survive. When has the High King ever done anything for me? Gaídel would rather squabble for status than stand against the Jotman.”

  “So you have given up?” Liadan could not understand his apathetic position.

  “At least I was not one of them. Traitor,” Niall said and spat upon Liadan’s habit. Guillaume bristled at her side and Niall laughed, “I see you have one as a pet! You keep quite interesting company.”

  Eógan and Crimthann appeared, both moved with unnerving silence through the brush and brambles; Esker sounded like she was felling trees in contrast. An arrow still pierced her arm, but outwardly she showed little reaction to the wound.

  Niall looked at Crimthann, then back to Liadan. “It appears that both Oengus and Ronan are dead. Are you planning on killing us as well?” They must have a way of communicating with each other without words, since neither had spoken.

  “Should we?” Eógan asked in Pechtish.

  “Probably,” Niall replied simply. Liadan grew deeply concerned. She felt like it would be a risk to let Niall and Crimthann go, yet did not have it in her heart to murder any captives. Especially not any Gaídel. She knew in her heart that there was no justification for executing them, even when taking self-preservation into account.

  Liadan posed her dilemma to Guillaume in Gaulish. He thought for a moment and weighed in with his opinion, “I agree with you Liadan, we cannot kill them. Even if they track us, we must show them compassion.” Neither Niall or Crimthann reacted to Guillaume’s words, but Liadan suspected that they spoke some Gaulish.

  Esker grunted impatiently and moved towards Guillaume, saying something in her language. Guillaume examined the arrow wound, but did not seem to know how to treat it.

  Crimthann looked at Eógan’s cut shoulder and the arrow in Esker’s arm. “I can help with those injuries,” he said. “I have never field dressed a demon, but it looks like they bleed the same as we do.” His broad smile was nestled in the red tangle of his beard.

  “Treat her first,” Eógan insisted. “This is only a flesh wound.” The gash on his shoulder was more severe than his bravado let on, but Esker’s injury was far more grievous. Liadan hoped that her arm would fully heal, especially since it was the only one she had left.

  “Guillaume, can you try to keep Esker calm while Crimthann treats her wound?” Liadan asked and the Jotman boy nodded. “Eógan, I think we should take a moment to talk with Niall.”

  “Agreed,” Eógan said and he hefted the spear, twirling it slightly as he walked over to Niall, who was standing by the riverbank.

  “I have spoken my piece,” Niall said as he crossed his arms. “Let me go and I will tell you where our people are gathering.”

  “If we let you go, will you tell the Jotman that you found me?” Liadan asked.

  “Yes,” Niall responded without hesitation.

  “Liadan, you will not be safe if he lives,” Eógan interjected. “We need to silence him.”

  “No,” Liadan answered. “Niall has the right to make his own decisions.” She turned towards Guillaume, “Give him back his bow please.” Eógan kept a close eye on Niall as Guillaume handed him his weapon.

  “And my knife?” Niall asked Eógan.

  Eógan shook his head in frustration and pulled the knife from his waist. “Oops,” He said as he flung it into the river.

  Niall’s eyes narrowed as he said, “I will see you again soon Pecht,” the Gaídel man called out to Crimthann. “Time to leave Sprig.” This time Liadan was able to catch the subtle hand gestures they made to each other. It would be useful if she could communicate with her companions like that, especially to make quick decisions.

  “I need to finish dressing these wounds,” Crimthann said as he turned back to Esker’s arm. “I will find you later.”

  Niall walked south along the river to a point where large stones periodically rose above the rapids. He easily skipped across them, turned back to glare at them from the other side of the river, and disappeared into the forest.

  “I need to break the arrow head,” Crimthann said as he examined Esker. “Keep your demon still and I will pull the shaft out cleanly."

  Eógan watched the area of the forest where Niall had disappeared for a moment before walking over to Esker’s side. He put a hand on her shoulder and then gripped her arm firmly to hold it in place.

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  Crimthann spoke softly under his breath as several roots extended up from the soil and wrapped around Esker’s arm for further stability. Guillaume was at Esker’s side, trying to sooth her. It was still a challenge for Liadan not to be disturbed by Esker’s appearance. Her features were so alien: the elongated limbs, the vivid red of her skin, her long and thin nose that ended in a bulbous tip. Liadan was grateful that she had heard Esker’s thoughts in the land of dreams, otherwise she would still view Esker as a terrifying devil.

  Esker gritted her teeth and exhaled sharply as Crimthann again wove magic, vines wrapped around the arrowhead and shaft. The wood creaked momentarily then snapped, Crimthann slowly withdrew the shaft from her arm. A faerie ring of brown mushrooms sprouted with eerie alacrity around Esker.

  “This will sting a bit,” Crimthann said as he opened a small flask he kept under his cloak. Esker studied him with her large eyes, unable to answer him. Crimthann’s affable personality never wavered as he poured some of the viscous liquid onto the exit wounds on both sides of Esker’s forearm. She tensed and winced in pain, but with the help of the roots wrapped around Esker’s arm, Eógan was able to keep her arm steady. Crimthann bound the wounds snuggly with bandages. “All done!” Crimthann said cheerfully and the roots binding Esker retracted back into the earth.

  Guillaume seemed fascinated by the Gaídel’s ability. “Liadan, can you please ask Crimthann what kind of magic he is using?”

  Liadan translated Crimthann’s answer for Guillaume, “He says that he is a Mycomancer. Since everythingin the forest is united by fungal threads beneath the surface, Crimthann can speak through that network and direct the plant life.” Guillaume was suitably impressed.

  “Ask the boy how he freed both you and the demon from my entanglements,” Crimthann asked Liadan.

  When she posed the question to Guillaume, he looked down at the palms of his hands and shrugged his shoulders. He fiddled with the fabric of his tunic. “It felt like I found a loose thread and when I pulled on it, the rest unraveled,” he said enigmatically as he physically demonstrated his metaphor.

  “The boy is full of surprises, but it appears that you all are,” Crimthann replied after Liadan translated Guillaume’s words. “The rumors about you are true lass, you are a herald for the Jotman god.” Under his bushy red eyebrows, the man’s green eyes twinkled. “Perhaps I should start praying to him as well.”

  Liadan smiled back at him. “How did you end up traveling with someone like Niall? You seem to be of… a more welcoming disposition.”

  Crimthann became serious for the first time. “I have done things I am not proud of lass. Niall may be as prickly as a thistle, but he kept me and my mates alive…” he trailed off as he looked over at Oengus’ corpse and into the underbrush where Ronan had last been seen. “I would like to return my friends to the earth. Will you lot help me bury them?” Liadan nodded.

  Eógan raised an eyebrow, “We still need to find what we came out here looking for Liadan.”

  “And what would that be? If it is found in the woods, I can be of service,” Crimthann said as he began to drag Oengus’ corpse towards the fire pit by the bank of the river. “Help me bury my mates and I will aid you in your search.”

  ———

  Crimthann, Eógan, Esker, Guillaume, and Liadan dug shallow graves for Oengus and Ronan. Esker was the most effective, able to use her large hand and strong fingers to scoop soil away quickly, yet her injuries limited her contribution. Eógan used Ronan’s spear to break up the ground, but mostly the group had to use their hands to dig and progress was slow. Fortunately, Crimthann specified that the graves only needed to be a foot deep and in the shape of his fallen friends’ bodies.

  After they carefully lowered the corpses into place, Crimthann prayed over his friends, closed their eyes, and kissed both of them on the forehead. As he stood, he raised both of his palms towards the sky. Roots enveloped the dead men, wrapping them in a cocoondotted with fruiting mushrooms and pulled them down beneath the surface. A tear trickled down Crimthann’s face, he wiped it on the side of his mossy green cloak. “Now what is it that you are searching for?” Crimthann asked.

  “We need to find blue mushrooms that grow by the river. We think they might be found in sandy silt, in the roots of trees near a flooded area,” Liadan replied. Eógan seemed concerned that she was so candid with a potential foe. Something about Crimthann’s nature put Liadan at ease, he reminded her of an uncle that she cherished.

  “Oh aye, potent fungus indeed. I have seen some Bluecaps growing upstream. I did not think the Broken god was keen on such experiences.” Crimthann winked at Liadan. “We use them for sacred rituals, as they aid us in seeing the divine. The Bluecaps helped me see the forest for what she truly is.”

  “And what is that?” Liadan asked.

  “Why she’s an animal just like you and I,” Crimthann replied with a chuckle. “You may see all the trees and think that they are apart, but it is all one creature, just like this land.” He started walking north along the river. “Come, I should not keep Niall waiting too much longer. He gets cranky.”

  The five of them traveled for close to an hour, mostly following the winding bank of the river, but occasionally venturing into the nearby forest when the way forward was overgrown. Eventually they reached a bend in the river where there were clear signs of flooding. Broken fragments of wood were strewn about in the sandy silt and the soil had been eroded to expose the tangled root systems of nearby trees. The early afternoon sun reached down through the canopy in this clearing and a faerie ring of ten vividly blue mushrooms was nestled in the young grass. The caps were small in diameter and were relatively flat, with a raised bump at the center.

  Crimthann looked down at the Bluecaps reverently, took out a small knife and carefully cut the stalk of each mushroom, about a finger’s width from the base. He closed his eyes and shook each cap: purplish spores coated his hands and sprinkled down to the ground. “May many more grow in their place,” he said. “So that the Mushroom God can touch each of us.” Crimthann collected the mushrooms in his cupped hands and offered them to Liadan. As she received them with both hands, the purple spores coated her hands. Crimthann’s smile broadened. “Even the deadly types like Nighthaunt are safe to handle lass, they must be consumed to have any effect on you.”

  While the others were busy harvesting the mushrooms, Esker washed her dark blood off of her arm in the river. She then dredged the awful smelling insect limb that she used as a weapon through the water, dumping rancid clumps of meat from the open end of it. Liadan watched as the Tengu carefully packed the weapon with sand, then capped the open end of it with clay from the riverbank.

  Guillaume had a small satchel and several pouches around his waist, which he opened to make room for the fungi next to his writing supplies. When Esker saw his neatly rolled parchments, she began to make strange noises and approached to reach for them. “Not now Esker, we need to get back to…” Guillaume trailed off and looked at Crimthann apprehensively.

  “I would rather not know where you are headed,” Crimthann said genially in Gaulish, revealing his fluency and confirming Liadan’s suspicion. He took Liadan’s arm in his hand gently. “Lass, our people have been summoned by the High King, the lords and chieftains are gathering to the north at the Coronation Stone. If your family escaped the massacre at Gallowye, they likely headed there.”

  “Thank you Crimthann,” Liadan said earnestly. “Will Niall be angry at you for helping us?”

  Crimthann laughed heartily, “He is always angry. However, I do not wish to try his patience. If I have your leave, I would like to find him.”

  Liadan nodded and smiled at him. “I hope to see you again.”

  Crimthann mirth vanished and his face became serious. “I pray to the Mushroom God that we do not. My allegiance is with Niall. If you see either of us again, run.”

  ———

  After parting ways with Crimthann and making sure that the woodsman was not tracking their group, Eógan, Esker, Guillaume, and Liadan headed west towards Lady Galdr’s bog. It was late in the afternoon and none of them had eaten anything, besides Eógan, who had managed a small bite of fish before using it as an improvised weapon. Guillaume shared a bit of salted mutton with each of them, which would not sate their appetites, but could stave off the pangs of hunger. Despite the protests of her stomach growling, Esker refused to eat any.

  As they stopped to rest and chew the tough jerky, Esker once again made unintelligible noises and tried to get into Guillaume’s satchel. The Jotman boy was a bit impatient with her, “Why is this so important right now Esker? Can we wait until we reach Lady Galdr’s?” The Tengu was not discouraged by his protests and continued to pester him. “FINE!” Guillaume snapped in frustration. He opened his satchel and carefully removed several pieces of parchment. Each roll was tied with a thin strap of leather and he began to unfurl them. One had a detailed drawing of what looked to be the designs ofa castle, another was covered in neat notes that detailed Guillaume’s first few encounters with Esker. The last was a drawing of some kind of circular inscription, full of runes and picture of animals. Esker became excited when she saw the drawing and tried to get Eógan’s attention.

  Eógan was picking at the dried blood on his shoulder and did not seem to want to be disturbed. “Why are you bothering me with such bookish nonsense you bloody devil…” When he noticed the carefully replicated inscription, his demeanor changed. “Those… those are Pechtish. It warns, ‘that which sleeps must not be woken.’ Where did you find this?!”

  Esker pointed towards some of the strange runes around the animal pictographs. “Tengu,” she said in her baritone voice.

  As Liadan took a closer look, she too became excited. “There is archaic Gaídel script on here as well! It says something different, ‘Only light can banish shadow.’ Where in the world did you find this?” she asked Guillaume.

  “W-when we escaped from Lord Osmond’s castle, we found this in a cave beneath it.” He looked a bit guilty for having been frustrated with Esker, “I am sorry Esker, I had been distracted by everything else that has been happening and forgot all about it.” Esker seemed to understand his tone and appeared to be grateful for the apology, the Tengu gingerly put her hand on his shoulder. Guillaume studied his parchment. “Should we tell Lady Galdr about this?” he asked Liadan. She translated for Eógan and gave it some thought.

  “I think we need to involve Esker in this decision, we should wait until she can voice her opinion,” Liadan said and was met with agreement. Esker looked at the three of them curiously. Guillaume carefully rolled the parchment up and secured it in his satchel.

  Eógan looked towards the west and said, “We should hurry, so that we can make it to Lady Galdr’s home before it is dark.” Liadan shivered at the memory of the mist demons rising up from the bog.