Celestial Roots

Chapter 17 - A difficult decision

The wild boars' cries of fear took Taghna out of her state of semi-consciousness. In the fresh and humid air of dusk, she captured the smell of Déan. The trace, barely perceptible, was enough for her to set off. That's how she made her decision, letting her body act in her place. She would hunt for her comrades and go against the séalyar.

She could not deny the importance of being able to survive on her own. Since she had plunged into the uisgaïr, Taghna felt how much she had grown, in strength, agility and speed. Her progress had exceeded her highest expectations. She had become so skilled that she had just shared a moment with wild boars without them even noticing her presence. Thanks to her new skills, she could hunt without any difficulty.

If her classmates could not benefit from the same gifts as she did, it was clear that Séaroën's future would be uncertain. Without sacred water, they could not survive the surprise attack of predators or flush out the game they would smoke, dry and store in anticipation of the Hir. For all these reasons, she was going to do everything she could to help her friends and villagers.

After a long run, she found Déan lying on the ground shaking with a fever. He, who had always been the strongest of the gang from the beginning, now looked like a weak and helpless little boy. Taghna felt a pinch of remorse passing through her belly. She called his name several times while rubbing his body with force.

Déan finally reacted. His tremors were more pronounced and he whispered confused words. Not wanting to see him die in the night, Taghna took him on her shoulders and returned to where she had left Færn. The child did not weigh much and the journey was quick and uneventful.

The bear was still lying in a puddle of blood shimmering with a silvery light reflecting the brightness of the moon. Taghna looked around and easily found Færn. He had taken refuge a few steps away in a small cave. The smell from the walls, polished by the repeated passage of a large animal, was weak. The cave must have been abandoned a while ago.

A flickering light emanated from a cramped alcove where Færn was sitting. He had made a fire, more because he wanted some light than to keep warm.

- Færn, come help me, I found Déan, called Taghna.

The boy complied. He laid Déan down by the fire and looked at Taghna, not knowing what to do. While helping Déan, she said:

- Go find something to lower his fever while I go get more wood and water.

- Taghna... It's not a good idea, he replied.

- You're not going to do it again, are you? Look at him, Taghna said, pointing to Déan. Does that look normal to you? Let me tell you, it doesn't.

The darkness couldn't hide Færn's hesitation. He couldn't deny Déan's weakness but he was also convinced of the validity of the words of the séalyar. Taghna came out of the cave and Færn stayed to observe his friend. He finally sighed and went to get some medicinal plants. He couldn't argue for long with Taghna.

After giving Déan rudimentary care, Taghna did not wait another moment:

- Well, I'll go back and get the others. Make sure Déan doesn't need anything, please.

- But you can't see anything outside, Færn replied.

- What are you talking about? We can see perfectly.

- Taghna, I'm telling you, you're not normal. Maybe the uisgaïr allowed you to benefit from Lorgá's gifts more than we did, but...

- It has nothing to do with Lorgá, stop it with that.

- And how do you explain all this, then? The fact that you heal so quickly, that we find the animals' tracks without making any effort? What is it if it's not Lorgá?