The Fifth Beast (ManxMan Chinese/Celtic Fantasy Story)

Chapter 5

Niall looked up at Cumal. So his idea wasn't a crazy one, if Cumal didn't make fun of it, but took it seriously.

Cumal went on, "Diarmuid Mac Bres advocated the idea that the Kirinches called their beasts from Anghaine. As a matter of fact, he was very interested in the barbarians. Pity he didn't leave notes or something. I myself saw the calling of a beast not very often, but a dozen times for sure. Barbarians do it very simply, naturally, without spells or gates to the underworld. For them, it's as easy as pulling on boots or drawing a sword. Here someone holds a bridle, and the next minute he puts it on a giant black beast. No wormholes, no icy wind or snow, nothing. And kirins are mostly black, Niall, although there are bays, browns, greys, even piebalds. And the demons of Anghaine are white."

"With red ears and red glowing eyes," Niall chimed in. No matter how much wine Daire Mac Cormac drank, these details of his story never changed. But the hounds could sometimes grow up as big as cows, and their number could reach two dozen.

"They say that the Yuizhen, the youngest of the three chiefs of the Kirinches, has a beast as white as snow. And not even a horse, but a giant wolf. Although I don't know if its ears are red."

"There! Kirins don't always look like horses!" Niall exclaimed. "Why couldn't one of them be a bear, or something like a bear? My gamekeeper stubbornly insisted that a kelpie could take on any form it wanted."

"Honestly, kirins don't look like horses that much. Either they have horns, or a bull's tail, or paws of a lion and fanged jaws. I personally saw a Kirinch ride a giant elk with horns so big, you could lie across them. Merchants tell all sorts of tales: Kirinch women milking black cows, Kirinch children playing with black dogs and then waving their hand and making them vanish into thin air. In their heroic epic "Sango", about the internecine wars of three tribes, kirins took on various forms and fought bloody fights with each other. But one thing remains the same: a kirin never attacks a human. Never."

"There is no rule without an exception. Humans generally aren't bloodthirsty creatures, but it's not uncommon for them to kill their own kind if they think they can get away with it."

"Exactly!" Cumal snorted. "Tell me, if some barbarian wanted to kill your hunter so much, why didn't he go and cut his throat? Even a guard from your castle can't last five minutes against a trained Kirinch warrior. Not to mention a peasant, even armed. It's much easier than using some unknown method to call a kirin through a wormhole inside the Shield and set it on a human."

"But who knows what a barbarian might think of?" Niall protested. "Maybe it was some kind of secret ritual or a sacrifice!"

Cumal laughed.

"Oh, it's so clear that you imagine the Kirinches only from bard's songs and folk tales. They are ordinary people which live in ordinary houses (although they also use yurts*). They plow the land, trade, hunt. Only they use candles or lamps instead of magical fire."

"Yeah, and they ride ordinary beasts from the underworld instead of horses," Niall muttered.

"Tomorrow I will take you on a tour. Let's see if you can tell a beast from the underworld from a simple black stallion. And now, Niall Mac Nechtan, it's high time you put your mouth to better use than superstitious chatter!"

It wasn't until the next day that Niall showed up in the guest bedroom that Cumal had assigned him. His friend obviously picked up some ridiculous prejudices in the barbaric North. Why couldn't they share the same bedroom? But Niall's belongings had been taken there, and the faithful Sencha waited to help his lord dress smartly. It wasn't proper to appear before barbarians in a dusty riding cotta* with slits in front and rear sides, was it?