Tír na nÓg Trilogy, Book II: The Rising Dark

Fur and Feathers

Oonagh found her on the ground, near her pony, which had laid down next to her to keep her warm. She was unconscious, and it took both Oonagh and her brother to lift Emery into the roundhouse and onto her own bed. The brother and sister were in a flurry of concern, trying to wake her and make her comfortable and allay her obvious fever, and fortunately, before they had to go find someone else to help, Cathbad and Tess arrived.

The druid was immediately distressed and asked the others to wait elsewhere, so the girls walked Oonagh's brother home, which left Cathbad alone with Emery.

Her eyes were closed, but her body was tense, and her head tossed from side to side every so often, as if she were having bad dreams. Her lips trembled, words attempting to find their way out, and her hands clenched the blanket around her. Cathbad studied her perspiration, her distress, and retrieved some herbs and berries and a root of some sort from the array of items he kept strapped to himself. He then withdrew from a pouch at his side a small mortar and pestle in which to crush them together. Within five minutes, after muttering some words and spitting into the concoction he'd made, Cathbad approached Emery and, with his thumb, smeared the paste across her forehead and down her sternum.

Emery's body immediately untensed; her facial features relaxed. She began breathing regularly, and the druid sighed in relief. But there was more to be done. He had to speak with her before the others returned.

So, leaning toward her, Cathbad spoke cryptic words into her right ear, and then he took hold of her right thumb, drew back, and asked, "What holds you?"

In her calm state, Emery replied so quietly Cathbad had to incline his head closer again. "The rising Dark."

The words unsettled him. He pondered his next question. "What brings it?"

Emery turned her head slowly, and the druid watched anxiously, but she replied with some strain in her voice, "Fear Doirich."

Cathbad closed his eyes, sucked in his lips. He'd been afraid it was The Dark Man. And if Fear Doirich was able to have this sort of effect on Emery, was able to consume her in this manner, he couldn't keep quiet about it anymore. He little knew how to deal with such an ominous entity. Unlucky was the human on whom the aos sí set their sights. Their purposes were unpredictable at best and volatile at worst. Why the Dark Man was after Emery was beyond him and would no doubt remain so, as the fae folk didn't typically reveal their purposes. There was real danger in allowing this poisonous flirtation to continue--if Fear Doirich intended to steal her away, he would become only more relentless. The aos sí tended to get their way in the end.

It was time to tell Cuchulain. Releasing Emery's thumb, Cathbad stood and went to the door of the roundhouse. Outside, his huge raven perched on a nearby thatched roof. When the druid called to him, the familiar hopped down and fluttered over, and after receiving his master's message, the bird took off up into the clear starry sky and headed in the direction of Emain Macha.

Oonagh and Tess took turns sitting up next to Emery. Cathbad had told them she'd be all right, now that she'd been purged of her feverish state and needed only rest. They were to do nothing at all except watch for signs of disturbance; Emery would wake when her body and spirit were ready. The night was long. Both girls worried about their friend in spite of the druid's assurance that all would be well. He himself had gone off to cast or commune or do whatever it was he needed to do. Before leaving, he revealed that Emery had encountered Fear Doirich in her dreams and suffered a sort of transfixion from it.

When Emery did at last rouse, sometime after mid-morning, she found Tess beside her and was confused. She spoke her friend's name, and Tess immediately reacted, grabbing Emery's hand and squeezing, afraid a hug might be too much. She didn't quite know what state Emery was in.