Chapter 16 #3
“Alive and well.I guessed right. She planned to marry them to the Wolfskins that followed her and set her warriors up to hold this fort, even though only one of the three girls is of marriageable age. Aife was planning to have you and me killed, give your castle away, and hold Skye while she collected enough warriors to take Lethra.” Uathach shook her head.
“Aife is definitely a fool. Do you know what you’re going to do with her? ”
Scáthach bared her teeth in a fierce smile. “I do.”
Uathach lifted a brow, looking very much like her mother. “I look forward to whatever it is that has made you smile like that.”
“Do you have a count of our casualties from Tabiti?” Scáthach asked.
“We only have a few minor injuries. We lost no Shadow Guard,” said Uathach.
Scáthach sighed in relief. “Excellent. Have a pyre built outside the fort for Aife’s dead.” She hesitated and then added, “Are they all dead?”
“Every one of them except their queen.”
Scáthach sighed heavily. “Such a waste of lives. Someday Aife will answer for her mistakes. Before the pyre is lit, have the Shadow Guard pour libations over it. Many of those two hundred warriors must have believed they were doing the bidding of their rightful queen. I don’t know if they’ll find their way to Valhalla from here without the aid of Valkyries, but we can at least send their spirits on with libations and fire. ”
“That’s compassionate, and I agree,” said her daughter.
Scáthach ran her hand through her hair, pushing it back behind her ears. “I must help Cuchulainn with something. It won’t take long. Would you gather Kintail’s daughters and the others from the fort at the front of the keep? I would speak to them and to the Shadow Guard before we leave this place.”
Uathach’s face brightened. “We return home today?”
“Yes. As soon as possible.”
“The guard will be pleased. Almost as pleased as I am,” said Uathach before she grinned and headed to the stairs.
Scáthach leaned against the door, only then noticing the blood trail from where her daughter must have dragged away Drest’s body. The Queen of Shadow rubbed her forehead, thinking of how much she hated battles. “Such a waste of life,” she repeated.
When Cuchulainn opened the door, he looked almost like himself, though he wore a tunic that was too tight across the shoulders and breeches that were several inches too short. He attempted a smile. “The boots aren’t a bad fit.”
“We’re going home today. You won’t have to wear those clothes long,” said Scáthach. “Will you trust me?”
“With my life,” Cuchulainn said.
“Then come. I know something that will help with . . .” She made a gesture at the room behind him.
He nodded.
Scáthach led him down the stairs. She stopped at the entrance to the great hall, which was busy with residents of the fort who were cleaning the mess left by Aife’s army. Beside her, Cuchulainn tensed. His eyes flicked around the hall. He reminded Scáthach of a young horse who was ready to bolt.
She touched his arm. His body jerked. He drew a long breath and then met her gaze.
“They do not know.” She spoke for his ears alone. “No one does except Uathach and me. Neither of us will speak of it.”
His nod was jerky.
“Ready?” she asked.
“Yes.”
They walked through the hall. Several of the workers paused to bow to Scáthach. She acknowledged their respect with a smile and a nod but did not slow.
The scene outside the keep was gruesome. The hard-packed dirt of the fort was dark with blood. The air reeked of death. Carrion birds darkened the sky. Scáthach strode through the fort with Cuchulainn at her side. She walked briskly, not giving him a chance to slow or stop.
“Cu! Glad you’re not in the Underworld!” called one of the Shadow Guard.
Cuchulainn nodded stiffly and kept moving forward.
“Good to see you, Cu!”
“Well done saving Amage and Tabiti!”
As Scáthach led him to the front of the fort, many of the Shadow Guards paused in their gruesome task of collecting the dead to greet Cuchulainn, calling to him, smiling and saying how good it was to see him.
Cuchulainn did not speak. He did nod, and by the time they’d reached the doors, he also smiled.
Scáthach did not lead him over the bridge where her guard was building the pyre and stacking bodies.
Instead she turned to the right and followed the little islet around until they came to a part of the bank that sloped gently down to the loch.
It was quiet there. The thick wall of the fort muted sounds within.
The morning was clear. The breeze across the loch was soft and the water was so still it seemed there was another world reflected under its mirrored surface
She went to the edge of the water with Cuchulainn beside her. “Swim,” she said.
His brows shot up. “Swim?”
“Yes.”
“In the loch? Now? Is that really what you’re saying or is my mind still muddled?”
“Your mind is fine. I want you to swim. Now. In the loch.” Her gaze went from him to the clear, cool water.
“Here you can wash off what was done to you in there.” She pointed her thumb over her shoulder at the fort behind them.
“The loch has been blessed by Cliodna, who blew it into the fort last night in the form of fog. It cloaked us so we were able to be victorious. The water is sacred. Let it help you heal.”
Cuchulainn touched his head and winced. “You know these wounds will not kill me. I will heal.”
She met his gaze. “I’m not speaking of the wounds of your body. I mean the wounds in your spirit.
He looked away first, turning his gaze to the loch. “You believe it will help?”
“I know it will, but you must also know it,” she said.
He spoke slowly. “I will try.”
“I’ll give you privacy. When you’re ready, you may join me in front of the keep if you wish. There I will announce Aife’s punishment.”
Cuchulainn stared out at the water. “Is she really carrying my son?”
Scáthach had almost hoped he hadn’t been aware enough to understand that part of the nightmare. She wished she could lie to him, to save him the knowledge, but he had a right to know. “Uathach’s vision says she is.”
A shudder rippled through his body. “That is why you won’t kill her.”
“It is.”
His amber eyes met hers. “Thank you. I don’t think I would have shown such mercy in your place.”
She held his gaze. “You would have. You, too, understand there is strength in mercy.” Then Scáthach began retracing their path. “If you’d rather not see her again, you need not reenter the fort. Let any of the Shadow Guard know and they’ll give you a horse. You can meet us back at the campsite.”
“Scáthach?”
She glanced over her shoulder at him.
“Will your sea monsters join me in my swim?” he asked.
She grinned. “Only if you’re very lucky.”