The Earl Of Douglas

Ceathrad 's a seachd

"Fuck! Am I dead?" Niamh jolted upright immediately wincing at the pain from her wound.

"No Raven, but I ken it is a close thing." Morgan floated slowly in a wraithlike manner across the room to her. When her hand reached out, Niamh recoiled in dread. Morgan's red lips drew into a soft smile. "It's why I've come. Ye see me because I'm neither alive nor dead. While ye hover between the two, I become visible to yer sight. But I am always with ye. Always near."

"I'm...I'm dying?" Niamh stuttered. She was kidnapped and now she'd die in a smelly hovel never seeing the ones she loved again. 'Momma, Daddy, Trish...Eòin' Her thoughts whispered their names as if in prayer.

"I willnae let ye die my Raven. It is naw yer time. And yer purpose here has yet to be fulfilled." She pressed the tip of her finger to the wound and the same burning pain Niamh remembered feeling upon shaking her hand when the tattooed feathers first appeared was back again.

Niamh bit her lip to keep from crying out. As suddenly as the pain started it stopped. The constant pain from her injury was suddenly gone. Surprised, she pulled away at her bandages to see her skin whole and perfectly intact.

A combination of fear and awe-filled Niamh's eyes as she regarded Morgan. "You-you healed me. What are you?"

"Aye, but I dinnae fix the smell. Yer humming Raven." She chuckled as Niamh self-consciously sniffed herself. Her smile growing wider, Morgan sat on the cot next to Niamh.

"I am called the "Phantom Queen" at times by the faithful or "Great Queen" but I'm naw actually a queen. I'm naw even a woman." She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.

"Followers? Faithful? But you look like a woman." Niamh muttered pointing at the obvious.

"I am what ye humans call a goddess. Truth be told I'm naw just one goddess but there be three." She laughed hard at Niamh's comical look of dismay.
"What we truly are cannae be put into words. Let us say we are known for many things but best known to be the patronesses of revenge, magic, priestesses, night, prophecy, and witches. Which is why ye and Eòin Douglas drew our attention."

Growing more and more perplexed Niamh inquired. "How did the two of us, centuries apart end up drawing your attention? I mean I'm catholic."

Morgan gave a sniggle before answering. "This started with Eòin's quest for revenge."

"Oh, that's right the feud between Clan Douglas and Clan Colville." Niamh considered the brief knowledge she'd been given on the subject.

"It runs much deeper than that," Morgan said rolling her r's in a very heavy Scottish accent. Niamh couldn't recall her having it on their first meeting but dismissed the idea. "I'll tell ye the real story behind it then yer free to decide on whot is fair and whot it right. Aboot the year 1449, the families of Colville and Auchinleck were on friendly enough terms. So friendly in fact that a rope was stretched from castle to castle across the river, Lugar."

"Messages were often sent back and forth upon this rope by means of a ring to which it was attached. Of course, being the braw Scottish clans that they are, fights often erupted betwixt them. Heated messages would be sent back and forth along the rope. The reason, Sir Richard Colville I, slew Isobell's father, John Auchinleck, is because he believed the Laird Auchinleck sent him a wrapped parcel containing bones of a sheep's head. But this was naw the case. Some of the young lads were simply having a bit of a jape."

"The prank caused the Colville's to perceive this as an insult. The friendship of many years' past was over. There was open warfare between the families. Sometime later, Laird Auchinleck was set to pay a visit to his friend, Laird William Douglas, Eòin's father. The Colville's learned of this information. Sir Richard the first, rode out to meet him in an act of revenge."

"With his comrades in arms, Sir Richard I waited at a quiet part of the road and attacked Laird Auchinleck and his men as he rode through. Being a man of quick temper, the Earl of Douglas did not wait for judge or jury when hearing of the attack and took matters into his own hands. He flew to avenge his friend. He leveled the Ochiltree Castle, Richard's ancestral home, and burned the castle to the ground. He put Richard's father, the elder Richard Colville, and his men to the sword. Douglas, dragged his captive the Knight of Ochiltree, Sir Richard Colville I, along with him on his return. Thus, demonstrating his victory over Clan Colville and demoralizing them."

"They were about to cross a stream when Sir Richard I, remarked that a witch foresaw that he would die at this very spot. He dinnae ken it then but that witch was us. Douglas fulfilled our prophecy by putting Colville to death at the very spot. In turn, William Douglas suffered for those acts and misdeeds by being stabbed to death by none other than the King and Richard Colville II at Stirling Castle. This is the secret that Eòin dinnae ken but suspects and now ye are able to give him the power he needs to see his vengeance through."

Taking in everything she said Niamh sat quietly. She could hardly believe all this death and suffering started with a prank. And if she decided to tell Eòin that Richard had his father's ring the cycle would only continue.

"What would happen if I told him about the ring?" She inquired.

"Then the cycle of revenge would continue. While we enjoy the act of revenge, the cause must be just. Ye ken? And we brought ye here to do just that." She placed her cold hand atop Niamh's.

"How can I stop all of this? I don't have any power besides the ability to run my mouth." Niamh shrugged spreading her arms wide.

"Oh, my sweet Raven." She caressed her cheek. "We'd been on a desperate search for someone like ye. Being the goddesses of fate, we decided to sit back and wait. Time is nothing to us. And we can exist on multiple planes of time at once. Fate brought us to ye. Ye are here because ye are the last of a dying line who are connected to the deep magic. Naw other humans could've tolerated this." She pointed to the tattooed feathers. "Nor the trip through time itself."

"Oh, shit I have powers." Niamh wiggled her fingers theatrically.

Morgan grabbed her hands placing them back on her lap. "Um, no my wee Raven. Ye have not a stitch of magical power. I said ye are connected to it, naw that ye can use it."

Disappointed Niamh continued, "That sucks so then how did I get this connection? Through Richard Colville's family?"

"Also, naw." Niamh didn't know why but that brought her a sense of relief.

"Am I really related to that asshole?" She hoped to hear anything but the answer her heart was giving.

"I ken ye already know the answer to that, Raven. He is yer grandsire, many generations removed. And if he dies ye cease to exist."