Sorceress

Chapter 24:

Finn leads me to one of the royal horses of the Tuatha de Dannan- the supreme faerie race of the Celts. The stallion is similar to Dale in every aspect except for his eyes; they burn with a strange ghost like flame, and if you stare at them for too long, you go into a trance like state. Finn gets up onto the stallion, and then pulls me up so that I sit in front of him. He whispers to the stallion in ancient elvish, and we fly up the hill, faster than the wind, or the waves on the ocean. All the while, I clasp fistfuls of mane in trepidation of what will happen to me.

We climb hill after hill, the stars twinkling brightly high above our heads, and the moonlight tainting the grey stone a washed out lilac. When I am completely lost in the maze of this barren landscape,  we come to a stop at three archways carved into the side of one of the hills. The middle one is lit with a warm glowing light, and the other two are dark and foreboding. Finn leaps off the stallion, and I follow suit. The faerie horse snorts once in defiance and gallops into one of the dark archways. Finn pushes me forward a bit, and I stumble into the lit archway. In front of me, I see several long banquet tables, stretching through a magnificent hall. Elvish faeries in magnificent medieval dress feast and drink in front of a massive throne carved out of the fallen trunk of an elm tree. Seated on the throne is the king of these faeries, his robes are woven from starlight, his hair braided and strewn with glittering gems. The hall goes silent as soon as I enter, before a few of the elves begin to childishly chuckle, like the sound of water falling onto copper. The king turns to me, "So my son, the changeling, has brought the girl from the North forests to me," I stand there, my breath catching in the back of my throat, and my heart fluttering like a caged animal in my chest. Finn bows, 

"Yes, my king, this is the girl," the king stands up, and waves his hand, the other faeries immediately scatter away from the hall into the narrow archways lining the room. Finn bows, and leaves also, but not before whispering something to the king. The king sits back on his throne, before turning his head to address me,

"Aine, daughter of Ealga," I am startled by my mothers name- I have tried not to think of her since her death. "You have suffered great pain," he contemplates this, resting his bony chin on his hands. "But... I cannot see who has dealt you this pain... I see everything... except..." he raises his hands in frustration, but, of course he cannot see the Vikings, they are industry, and machinery, he can only perceive nature, and magic. 

"You cannot see the Vikings?" I reply,

"Vikings?" he stares at me in confusion,

"The north men, they come from a distant land, with fire and industry, and have destroyed the Celtic villages of the Northern forests," he leans back in his throne, evidently shocked,

"And you survived?" He points an elegant finger at me, "This is because you are a sorceress, is it not? My son told me this before he left," he rises from his throne, and begins to pace in circles around me, "Did you know that you are the only survivor from the North forests that is not enslaved?" I hurriedly respond to him,

"How do you know this? Surely some of my tribe- the runaway slaves- survived, it cannot just be me," 

"Would you like proof?" he chuckles, amused at my desperation,

"Yes," I reply.