Chapter 11 #2
As he was being transferred from the wagon to the litter, a rider galloped up.
His horse was lathered, and his black clothes were stained with sweat and travel dirt, but still easily recognizable as Fearghas—one of the members of the Shadow Guard she’d commanded to search the island for any sign her sister had returned to Skye.
“Queen of Shadow!” He dismounted and bowed to Scáthach. “I bring news of Aife!”
“Come to the Great Hall,” Scáthach commanded. “Tabiti, Uathach, join us.”
“I would ask to join you, too,” said Cuchulainn from the litter.
“You need to be tended to by the healer.” At his stricken expression Scáthach added, “I’ll check on you and give you the news then.
” She paused and put her hand on his shoulder.
“You fought well. You saved my life. Now you must rest, Sentanta. Rest and heal.” Then she hurried into the castle with her two senior warriors and the messenger.
Scáthach called for food and drink, though Fearghas only gulped the drink before he began his report. “Aife has taken Dùn Dòbhrain.”
Shock and anger heated Scáthach’s blood.
Dùn Dòbhrain was a snug settlement just off the coast of the mainland that had been built on an islet where Loch Duich, Loch Long, and Loch Alsh converged on the way to the Inner Sound and the sea.
It was a prosperous community, easily reached by ships.
Scáthach traded there often and knew their lord, Kintail, well.
He was a fair man who ruled his people wisely.
“Are you certain the settlement has been taken?”
“Yes.” Fearghas gulped more beer from the wooden mug before he continued. “I spoke to one of the local merchants. Do you recall the baker, Beitris?”
Tabiti spoke before Scáthach could. “We all remember Beitris. Her cakes alone are worth a trade trip to Dùn Dòbhrain.”
“She was wounded but managed to escape the castle by stealing a small fishing boat. She made it across Loch Alsh to Skye. I found her as I was patrolling along the coast near the loch.” Fearghas paused and shook his head sadly.
“Before Beitris died, she told me a woman who called herself Queen of Lethra took the islet. The mastheads on each of her ships were black dragons, and it was on her sigil.”
“Aife.” Tabiti said the name as if it tasted foul.
Fearghas nodded. “Yes. Beitris’s last words were a message to you, Queen Scáthach.
She wanted you to know that Aife and her men have been gathering information on you and on Dunscáith.
She said they were particularly interested in the names of your current students.
Once they discovered Cuchulainn still trained with you, they stopped asking so many questions. ”
“Cuchulainn? Does Aife have a history with Cuchulainn?” asked Uathach.
“No. She couldn’t. He would have mentioned knowing her, or even knowing of her,” said Scáthach.
“It is odd,” said Tabiti.
“What of Lord Kintail?” Scáthach asked Fearghas.
Fearghas’s lips flattened into a line before he replied. “The Lord of Dùn Dòbhrain is dead, as are his three sons. Beitris said when she escaped, his three daughters were alive but had been taken prisoner by Aife.”
“She’s probably thinking to marry her lead soldiers to them,” said Uathach. “And say that’s her claim to Dùn Dòbhrain.”
Tabiti scoffed. “More likely she’ll gift them to her lead soldiers to do with as they wish.”
“I will not allow that to happen.” Scáthach’s voice was hard as the stone from which Dunscáith was hewn.
“The warriors who attacked Cuchulainn and me were not Aife’s men.
They were from the mainland, far south—sent by Aife—and told if they brought her my head, she would exchange it for Dunscáith Castle. ”
“Never!” Uathach shouted as Tabiti exclaimed, “That bitch!”
“Exactly,” said Scáthach. “My intent was to ignore Aife as long as she left me unbothered. Well, I am bothered. Entirely bothered.” Rage boiled through her veins.
“Tabiti, choose a member of the Shadow Guard to go to the Kylerhea ferry. Tell them we will need passage to the mainland for one hundred with horses and supplies.”
“When?” Tabiti asked.
“Have the guard leave immediately. We will arrive by dusk today.”
“Then we ride around Loch Duich and surprise Dùn Dòbhrain?” Uathach said.
“Yes. But before we retake the settlement, we’ll need to know how many warriors Aife has and if she’s put up defenses around the fort.
Then we retake Dùn Dòbhrain, and after we destroy Aife’s army, we return it to Lord Kintail’s daughters.
If Aife survives the battle, she will agree to leave my lands and never return, or I will send her to the Underworld with my own hands. ”
Together Uathach, Tabiti, and Fearghas shouted a war cry, lifting their fists in the air.
* * *
“How is he?” Scáthach quietly asked Caitir, the only druid on Dunscáith and their healer.
Caitir left the hearthfire and the tea she poured from the pot steeping over it to join Scáthach just inside the doorway to the spacious infirmary—though, at the moment, the only bed occupied was by Cuchulainn, who appeared to be sleeping.
“Queen of Shadow.” She bowed to Scáthach.
“I believe were he not the son of a god, he would be dead by morning.”
“But?”
“But he is the son of a god.” Stork-like, the tall healer tilted her head to the side and added, “Lugh, I believe.”
“Yes, that is correct. Cuchulainn’s father is Lugh of the Long Arm.
” Scáthach spoke formally to the healer.
She respected Caitir’s healing abilities, but even though the druid had been at Dunscáith for a decade, there was a sense of unease between the two women.
Scáthach understood why. Caitir was a druid and, were she not a healer as well, her only purpose at Dunscáith would be to serve as a bridge to Annwn and the gods.
But Scáthach did not need a bridge to the Underworld.
She did not need someone to interpret omens and signs or to beseech goddesses or gods to hear her prayers.
Scáthach’s blood gave her access to and understanding of Annwn no druid could ever have—and that made Caitir, and druids in general, uneasy.
“Well, Lugh’s divine blood will save his life as I could not were he any other warrior,” said the healer.
“How long will it take for him to recover?”
Caitir lifted one shoulder. “I cannot say. It should be a lengthy recovery, but his body is already fighting the infection and winning. I would recommend he not strain himself for at least a fortnight after his leg is able to bear weight.”
Scáthach nodded. “I will be sure he heeds your recommendation. Thank you, Caitir.” She was leaving the infirmary when Cuchulainn’s voice stopped her.
“Scáthach?”
She turned and reentered the room. Caitir gave Scáthach the mug of medicinal tea she’d poured and then pulled a chair to Cuchulainn’s bedside. “Be sure he drinks the tea.” Caitir bowed to the queen and then left them alone.
“What word did Fearghas bring?” he asked.
Scáthach gave him the mug of steaming tea and then sat beside his bed pallet. “You are to drink this.”
He frowned at the tea.
She lifted a brow. “Now. And as you do so I will tell you the news Fearghas brought.”
He harrumphed but began drinking the brew.
“How are you feeling?”
Cuchulainn waved a hand dismissively at his newly cleaned and bandaged leg. “I will heal. What word did Fearghas bring?” he repeated.
“I’m going to be sure that bard sings of your stubbornness as well as your heroism.”
He took a gulp of tea, grimaced, and said nothing.
“As I said—stubborn.” Scáthach held her hands up in mock surrender. “Aife has taken Dùn Dòbhrain.”
“The trading settlement on the islet just off the mainland of Alba?”
“Yes.”
“When do we leave to take it back?” he asked.
“Shortly. The Shadow Guard rides to the ferry at Kylerhea as soon as weapons and supplies are readied. But that does not include you,” Scáthach said.
He gulped the rest of the tea and sat up straighter in bed. “I can ride,” he insisted.
“Even were that true, you need to do a lot more than just be able to ride. The march across Skye northeast to the ferry will be hard and swift. You will then need to ride around the loch and be ready to fight. Uninjured.” He opened his mouth to argue, and she put a hand on his arm.
He closed his mouth and sighed. “Sentanta, you cannot go into battle like this. You would be a liability.”
Her words deflated Cuchulainn. His broad shoulders slumped. “I know that you are right.”
“Of course, I am.” She smiled. “Though I readily admit I will miss having you at my side during the battle.”
“Uathach and Tabiti will always be close by.” He paused and then added, “They will be, will they not?”
“Yes. Always. You need not worry. The Shadow Guard is one hundred strong. I will take all of them with me and leave the students, including the Hero of Ulster, to guard Dunscáith.”
Cuchulainn snorted. “Dunscáith doesn’t need to be guarded. No one could take this castle without your permission.”
“True. Which means you should all be well rested when I return.”
“What will you do with Aife?”
Scáthach tucked a length of hair behind her ear. “That will depend on what Aife does after the Shadow Guard and I have destroyed her army. If she agrees to leave and never return, I will allow her to live. If not, I will kill her myself.”