Chapter 1
The Mystic Knights of Tir na nog were making their usual inspection tour along the Temra border. They were walking through a wooded area when all of a sudden they entered a clearing only to come upon an almost unbelievable sight. There were at least fifty Temran soldiers strewn all over the ground and draped over branches and in the forks of trees. There in the clearing were also two siege engines, but one had been toppled and the other was scorched and burning.
"By Dagda!" exclaimed Rohan, "these men looked like they were jumped by a tornado."
"What weapons besides ours could have done this to the Temrans?" asked Angus.
"I wish I knew," said Ivar, "Such a weapon could be invaluable in our fight to save Kells."
"Only if it were in the proper hands," said Garrett smugly in Rohan's direction. Aideen bristled swearing to herself that she was going to turn Garrett into a toad if he didn't quit needling Rohan.
Before Rohan, Angus or anybody else could reply. Deirdre, who had been looking around on the other side of the clearing, called to them.
"There is something you'd better see." The other knights hurried over to where the pretty redhead stood. When they got there they immediately saw what she had been looking at. On the ground was a set of the type of chains that the Temran's used the rare times that they took prisoners. But these chains had been torn apart. They lay on the ground in sections. The iron rings that went around the wrists and ankles were ripped in half.
"I don't think were looking for a weapon," said Angus, "This was done by some creature."
"Looks like the Temrans got in over their heads," said Rohan
"Yes and we may be in over ours," said Deirdre she held up a piece of the wrist shackle and pointed to the finger shaped dents on it; "this was done Bare handed!"
######
The Mystic knights sat around the table in the great hall as the evening meal was brought to them. There had been a few minor skirmishes with the Temran army that day but nothing Major. And that made the Knights even more jumpy. Whenever there was a lull you could usually figure on Maeve being up to something especially sneaky. That on top of whatever escaped from the Temran's and gave them a beating made the day especially unnerving.
Angus was sitting at one corner of the table eating like he hadn't eaten in a week. Ivar was chatting with one of the other guests. Rohan was chewing his mutton thoughtfully and Garrett was eating and throwing jealous looks in Rohan's direction. Everyone at the table had been a bit surprised, none more so that Rohan himself when, quite out of the blue, Deirdre had deliberately ignored the chair that Garret had pulled out for her and chosen a seat next to Rohan.
Deirdre was momentarily distracted when she noticed the young man that brought another loaf of bread was someone she didn't recognize. He was young man about her own age with Dark brown hair and Blue eyes. He was wearing a white shirt and dark trousers and on his arms were black leather armbands with silver Lightning bolts on them.
"Hello," she said as the boy placed the platter with the bread on it in front of her, "I don't believe I know you." The young man looked up flashing a handsome face and a pleasant smile.
"Good evening your highness," he said in a pleasant Baritone voice, "My name is Asa. Your father the king was nice enough to give me a job as assistant to the Castle cook."
"Indeed," Confirmed King Conchobar, "and the Cook has never been happier."
"I thank you for the kind words your majesty." Said Asa
"Where are you from?" asked Deirdre still curious the young man opened his mouth and was about to answer when he was interrupted.
"Hadn't you better get back to work before the cook gets unhappy," said Garrett secretly unhappy at the Curiosity that was in the princess's eyes.
Now when this happened everyone figured the young man would cower before the prince like other servants did excuse himself and go back to work. However this young man squared his shoulders and looked the arrogant young prince in eyes without a trace of fear.
"Your highness," he said in a straight forward tone of Voice, "Take your crown and sit on it!"
At this Conchobar let out a burst of laughter then quickly covered it by pretending to coughing. Deirdre bit her lip to and her face turned red as she tried to suppress her own snickers. Angus started laughing so hard he fell out of his chair. This cracked up everyone who wasn't already snickering. And soon the whole room was laughing.
Asa turned to Deirdre, "To answer your question your highness, I come from a little village in the hills Called Ennis."
Asa turned picked up an empty platter and started toward the door. Garrett jumped up.
"Your majesty, are you going to let this smart mouth servant go unpunished!" he snapped.
"Asa, Said Conchobar calling the young man back, and trying to sound more displeased that he actually was, "you were insubordinate to Prince Garrett. Have you anything to say for yourself?"
"Put yourself in my place, your majesty," said Asa, "if you were a mere servant and you had a chance to charm as beautiful a lady as the princess, you wouldn't be too happy if you were interrupted either!"
Conchobar smiled at this.
"No I would not," he replied, smiling "I think considering your motive for what you said, that we can over look it this time. but don't make a habit of it."
Garrett was so mad that he jumped and stormed out.
The next day the boys were Sparring the Castle courtyard. Well they called it sparring but they should have called it what it really was, showing off for Deirdre.
Garrett had just knocked Rohan down again. He turned to flash his usual cocky smile at Deirdre only to find that her attention was elsewhere. They turned to see what had attracted her attention. Immediately he frowned. Asa was coming down the stone steps from the kitchen carrying a tray on it was Deirdre's personal goblet filled with her favorite drink, fresh white grape juice. Now they good guess what she had told that servant girl to do when she spoke to her a minute ago. She took the goblet and thanked Asa.
Asa smiled, bowed respectfully and turned to go. Then Deirdre's voice stopped him.
"Tell me something, Asa," she said motioning to Garrett and Rohan who had started sparring again.
"Yes, Princess," he said
"What do you think of our fighters?" she asked
Asa regarded them for a moment.
"They are very skilled fighters to be sure, milady," he said, "But Prince Garrett has one fatal flaw."
"Oh really," snapped Garrett, "and what pray tell is that, Servant boy?"
"Your Vanity," said Asa, "an arrogant warrior is his own worst enemy."
"Well if you're such an expert on warriors, why don't you just prove it!" snorted Garrett he tossed a sword on to the ground and Asa's feet. Deirdre jumped up.
"No, Garrett, No," she pleaded, "He'd be no match for you."
"This upstart needs to be put in his place." snapped Garrett. Asa picked up the sword and calmly smiled at the princess.
"Thank you for your concern princess," he said, "but I can take care of myself."
Deirdre watched with baited breath as Garrett and Asa squared off. A split second later Garrett attacked and to his surprise, Asa parried the attack flawlessly. Then Garrett attacked in earnest `but again Asa dodge parried and blocked every attack. Then Garrett swung as hard as he could and his blow broke Asa's sword.
"Hah, there," Jeered Garret turning his back on Asa, "Princess how do you like your favorite servant boy now?"
Before anybody could react, Garrett's legs were swept out from under him and he landed on his back. In an instant, Asa was sitting on his chest holding the jagged end of the broken sword at Garrett's throat.
"Your highness, Even a broken sword can kill you," he said, "like I said your greatest weakness is your vanity, when you thought you had me you got cocky!"
With that Asa Let Garrett up and threw down the sword. Garrett clambered up off the ground and stormed off to sulk.
"That guy always was a sore loser." muttered Rohan. The remaining mystic knights all gathered around Asa congratulating him and clapping him of the shoulder or patting him on the back.
Just then Aideen the Faerie came fluttering up in a hurry.
"Rohan, Rohan," she gasped, "The Temran army is headed this way."
The Knights grabbed their weapons and summoned their armor. They rushed out of the Gates to face the oncoming army.
Maeve had divided her army into three sections forcing the Mystic knights to separate. Ivar and Garrett took one section, Rohan and Angus, another section and Deirdre the third. When the men got closer the knights and the other Kells soldiers noticed something strange. All the Temran soldiers had some symbol a small circle with a line through drawn on their foreheads with paint!
Deirdre was in fact beating the Temran soldiers back when all of a sudden a small white object hit the ground right a her feet. There was an explosive flash of white light and Deirdre was left frozen like a statue. One of the soldiers approached at waved his hand in front of her face. No reaction.
"Ha Ha," said Torq when he saw this, "Maeve's new stun Crystals worked perfectly. Take her now."
The other knights were so busy that it wasn't until the battle was completely over that they noticed that one of their number was missing. They didn't have to wait long for an explanation.
Maeve's projected herself into the Kells throne room.
"Conchobar," she said, "I have your precious princess. She showed the image of Deirdre strapped to a table over her hung a thick steel plate with spikes in it. a timing device was inching a sharp blade ever closer to the rope that held up the plate. After Conchobar and the others had a good look Maeve spoke to again. "You will surrender Kells to me or you will never see your princess alive again. You have twenty four hours before the knife is lowered all the way and the rope is cut."
With a maniacal laugh Maeve's image faded away.
Conchobar sat there in stunned silence.
"We've lost," he said, "I have no choice but to surrender Kells to save Deirdre."
"No," said Rohan, "let me organize a rescue mission."
"Yeah," said Angus, "She's got to be at Maeve's Castle we'll have her back before supper."
The knights hurried out the door into the courtyard and only pause while Angus filled their water skins.
Asa who had been helping out where ever he could came running up to them.
"Mystic Knights," he said, "There is something you should know about These Temran soldiers and the markings on their heads."
"Not now," said Rohan, "we're busy"
"They're protective runes." Said Asa as the knights disappeared out the gate.
#######
Maeve strutted around her four new statues, Rohan, Angus, Ivar, and Garrett. The four Mystic knights had charged into the Castle just in time to be frozen by more of Maeve's stun Crystals. She now stood gloating at them knowing that though they were frozen and couldn't move or speak they could still see and hear. Deirdre was still on the table nearby with the Knife inching ever closer to springing Maeve's brutal death trap.
"You fools," she gloated, "you are finally in my power. At last I shall be rid of the Mystic knights forever! Even now Torq is preparing my warriors for a final assault on Kells. Soon your precious kingdom will be nothing but a memory."
"Don't bet on it." snapped a voice behind her. she whirled around to see Asa standing there.
"Well who in the name of ancient ones are you?! Guards!"
"Don't bother calling for help your personal guards are, shall we say, indisposed."
Maeve checked her viewer to find all her personal guards strewn all over the palace draped all over rafters and tables on the floor none of them moving."
"Who are you," she asked again, sounding a little uncertain of herself for the first time.
"Who I am is not important," said Asa, "I've come for my friends All five of them."
"You fool," snapped Maeve regain her arrogance, "do you know who I am."
"Oh yeah," said Asa, "You're the Queen Cockroach around here!"
Now fully enraged Maeve threw one of her stun Crystals and Asa hitting him square in the chest and blasting it's strange white light. Asa became motionless. Maeve strutted up to Asa who was standing there looking straight ahead.
"So much for your bravado, Hero," she sneered, "What are you going to do now?" she was immediately stunned when Asa turned and looked straight at her and smirked.
"This," he said. White lightning bolts shot out of his outstretched hands and blew Maeve against the wall. She slumped to the floor unconscious.
Asa turned and looked at the four Knights.
"Don't go anywhere," he said with a smirk. He turned and walked over to Deirdre. His eyes flashed with a white light and he snapped the chains off of Deirdre like they were thread. Pulling her out of harm's way, he then touched her forehead with the palm of his hand. A pale green tinged energy drained off of her, through Asa and down the ground.
Immediately the princess was free. She sat up and looked at Asa wide eyed.
"Who are you," she said, "What are you?"
"I'm not sure actually," said Asa helping her up, "I've had these powers ever since I was a boy."
"Can you release the others," asked Deirdre
"Yeah," said Asa, "Eventually."
#######
Asa, and Deidre pulled into Castle Kells in a borrowed wagon with four, still frozen, Mystic knights in the back. After Conchobar greeted his Daughter, Asa moved the frozen Knights into the throne room, sent the wagon back to its owner with another soldier and proceeded to explain things to the King.
"I certainly thank you for bringing back my daughter safe and sound, but why have you not freed the other knights." Asked the King
"It's like this," said Asa, "I fully intend to free them, it's just that when I approached them before they left I tried to warn them that runes the Temran's had on their foreheads were protection against the effects of ancient stun crystals, but they wouldn't listen. So when I found them, I told Deirdre what happened and we decided to let them stew in their own pot a while longer just to teach them a lesson."
"yes," said Deirdre, "Maybe next time they'll think twice before Charging into a fight without making sure they know what they're dealing with."
With That Asa walked over the four Mystic Knights, and using the same technique, that he used on Deidre, he freed them.
The four knights greeted Deirdre and sheepishly apologized to Asa for not listening. Even Garrett apologized, well, after a few threatening looks from the other Knights.
"Now young man," said the King, "you've rescued the princess and saved Kells from Maeve, so Name your reward."
"All I want is for the Mystic knights to take me to Tir na nog," said Asa
"Why," asked Rohan
"You all witnessed what I can do at Maeve's castle," said Asa, "for years I have been searching for the truth of what I am and why I have these powers, and why things like stun Crystals and such have no effect on me."
Meanwhile in Temra…
Maeve paced in her throne room. She spoke to Torq
"This Asa, presents intriguing possibilities if we could get him under our control."
TO BE CONTINUED…..
Please Read and Review
AN: this is My first Mystic knights story so let me know what you think.