Chapter One:
"I cannot close my eyes and make it all go away."
"Momma?"
The little girl was scared, frightened of something she could not see, touch, smell or taste. There was silence on the wind that hung over the small house like a plague, bringing with it a sense of doom. She was inside, waiting. Her mother had been all right this morning when she'd gone outside to play. She didn't understand what was happening.
"Momma? Are you there?"
She turned the corner and entered the hallway, walking cautiously to the closed door of her parents bedroom. "Daddy? David? Where is everyone?"
She slowly reached for the door knob, turning it and allowing the door to swing slowly open. On the bed lay the figures of her parents, so the girl moved into the room and over to the bed, walking around the right side and climbing up onto the bed. She looked into her mother's lifeless eyes, scared and confused. "Momma? Wake up. Please wake up."
She didn't. The girl climbed off the bed and walked around to the other side, shaking her father's shoulder. "Daddy? Momma won't wake up."
No answer. She didn't understand. What happened? She backed away as she stared at her father's face. Gently, a hand came down on her shoulder. She jumped, turning and looking up into the kind blue eyes of a man in white. He had long white hair that reached his waist, and he had a familiar, comforting air around him.
"They're gone Reighn."
"What do you mean?"
"The Shadows got them."
"No..."
The man shook his head, and, with a sigh, he smiled sadly. "I've come to take care of you."
"Who are you?"
"My name is Athair..."
*
Reighn O'Haire sat up in the bed, red hair flowing around her in a cloud of crimson silk. She blinked back tears as the dream came back. Reaching up, she scrubbed away a few tears that had escaped before rising and moving to the large french doors. She opened them and moved out onto the balcony, looking out over the white sand of the beach off into the deep blue waters of the ocean. The moon hung low on the horizon, covered partially by wisps of clouds. Stars studded the night sky, twinkling at Reighn as she gripped the rail of the balcony and gazed off into the ocean.
She had not dreamed of that in so long. The day her parents died was something she would like to forget. The day that Athair came into her life and taught her to be what she was today. To use the Power growing inside her and embrace her heritage as the Princess of the Celts. An ancient line of warriors and druids. She wielded the sword that had banished the Dark Lady from the earth once before at her ancestor's hand. The shadows came in force, heeding the wishes of the Lady. And Reighn led the Celts - a dying race - in an ancient battle of good versus evil.
Magic no longer existed in her world, having been turned into myths and legends. The Celts fought for the safety of the world in a world where magic no longer existed - in a world where people thought the celts were just ancients who wrought stone circles like those at Callanish.
Reighn blinked suddenly as a pull tugged at her soul... softly at first, and then more urgently. She blinked and stretched her senses, closing her eyes and entering the Web, reaching for the one who was calling out. When she opened her eyes, she was no longer in her body. Her spirit was clad in white doeskin breeches and boots. A white undershirt lay under a soft white doeskin vest, standing out in contrast to the green and white trees surrounding her. She gazed around herself, eyes widening at the sight that she now beheld.
Bodies littered the ground, and the yellow leaves that had fallen that fall were soaked with the black blood of something evil. She walked forward, stepping carefully through the mess of battle at her feet. Her emerald eyes held a searching look, and she found what she was looking for. Nearly ten yards away stood two men, an Elf and a Dwarf, heads bowed in mourning. Another man was kneeling by something, and, by moving closer, she realized it was the body of a fallen comrade. There was little life left in the man, whose chest and shoulder housed three black shafted arrows. He was pale, and barely breathing. His companions thought he was dead, which he would be soon if he was not healed. Reighn's healing magics were weak at best, but enough heal him enough that they could get him to a house of healing. She moved forward, kneeling down next to the dark haired man and placed a hand on his shoulder. His head snapped up and her looked straight at her. Bathed in shadows he could not see her transparent form, and somehow, the trees around her knew.
A wind blew, shifting the leaves of the trees overhead, sunlight shining through and dappling her form with its warmth. The man gasped and stared at her, moving backwards in shock. She looked into his eyes for a moment before turning her attention to the fallen warrior. She placed a hand on his chest, moving it softly to one of the arrows. Her fingers wrapped around it deftly and she pulled. The arrow came away from the body and fell to the ground, the blood on it staining the white skin of her spirit red. She moved to the next arrow, proceeding on pulling that one out as well as the third. She gazed at her hands for a long moment before placing them both on the fallen man's chest, beginning to chant.
Her voice was silent to the other men for a moment, but soon filled the air ghostily, like silver on the wind. She chanted in Gaelic, and old healing spell, one of the few she knew. She continued chanting until the man below her took in a greedy breath of air. His green eyes fluttered open and he stared up at her as she smiled softly. A barrier formed around his mind, shutting out some of the pain he felt and bathing his battered mind in a soft golden glow. She then stood and backed away, allowing the man's companions to either stare at her or move forward to examine the formerly believed dead fellow.
Reighn nodded to them once before turning and walking away, allowing herself to fade and return to her own body.
*
"It seems as though you have a guardian angel Boromir." Aragorn spoke softly as the wounded man stared up at him.
"Right..." Boromir began, then coughed. "But I'm still bleeding here."
"Let us get him back to Lothlorien." Legolas said, moving forward.
"No." Boromir said. "Leave me. You must go after Merry and Pippin."
"But you'll die!"
"Then it is a price I must pay." Boromir replied. "You must get them back... I have failed the Fellowship, and now you must correct the wrong I have done... For I cannot do this myself."
"Boromir - "
"Go, Aragorn." Boromir cut the other off. "I'll be fine. Just, go."
"As you wish." Aragorn said sadly before rising and moving to retrieve his weapons. Legolas knelt next to Boromir and spoke quickly. "I will send a message to Lothlorien, telling them you are here."
"Be safe Legolas." Boromir replied with a small nod.
Legolas gave a half-hearted smile before rising and following Aragorn and Gimli. Boromir watched them go before he stared up into the canopy of green leaves, sunlight dappling through. What had happened? He remembered pledging loyalty to Aragorn, and then seemingly falling into a sea of soft, white glowing mist. Then he awoke to stare up into the face of a beautiful woman. He could see through her, as if she were not really there and just a spirit. Who was she?
*
Reighn opened her eyes to find herself staring into the sunrise... Had she really been gone that long? And who was that man? How could he have had enough power to make a call like that unconsciously - especially through time? She had felt no power in him, it was seemingly nonexistent. She was slightly confused at all of it.
"Ah, you've returned."
"Athair?!"
Reighn spun to stare at the spirit, amazed that he was in the real world and not walking the ley-lines of the Web. "What are you doing here?"
"There is something you must know Reighn."
"What?"
"That man was on a quest - all of them are on a quest. He was to die trying to save the lives of two young Hobbits." Athair explained. "You seemed to have changed the past Reighn."
"I felt the call Athair. I went to find out what it was. The Web wished me to heal him the best I could."
"Reighn, your healing abilities are near to nonexistent." Athair said wryly.
"You aren't here to talk about this are you?"
"No. I'm not. Reighn, the shadows are moving, you must go after them."
"Where are they going?" Reign asked.
"Back in time, to the Third Age of Middle Earth. They are to join an army of evil beings as the Lady makes an alliance with the worst evil Lord the world has ever known."
"I cannot defeat the Lady on my own Athair."
"It must be so. You are the only one who can time travel." Athair said.
"Where do I go once I get there?"
"Follow the lines to a place called Minas Tirith, there the last battle will take place, and there, you shall confront the Lady."
"I hate it when your cryptic."
"I know."
"Don't mock me."
"Too late. Now, go."
