Chapter One

A Goddess' Anger, A God's Intervention



Perhaps it had been because she was so used to receiving the plunder of battles, or perhaps, like Cíocras, it was by greed or a greater design, but Badb was angry with the act. Cíocras had stolen from her, and he had not been punished. The fact that the others in the Gaiscíoch Band had not noticed the act to punish it did not appease her. As far as she was concerned, they had been lax as they searched their fellow warriors for any items.

Neit watched his wife with a guarded eye. It was seldom that she grew so angry, even being a Goddess of War. He too held favor for the Gaiscíoch Warriors, except that his favor had not waned as his wife's had.



As Neit watched Badb, so did one of her sisters – Anann. As Badb raged and cursed and threw many of the treasures that had been dedicated to her, Anann watched with a calculating eye.

"Sister, sister, you must calm yourself," Anann said, pulling her sister to sit next to her. "You mustn't let these heathens get to you." Badb grumbled out an agreement and Anann gave her a terrifying grin. "These men claim that they are undefeatable only because of your favor. Do you deny it?"

"No," Badb answered. "And they are undefeatable due to my favor, sister, because I asked you to stay away from them."

"And, until just recently they had your favor. Do you deny it?"

"No," came the answer again.

"And now, they no longer have your favor. Do you deny it?"

"No."

"And so, they are now defeatable. Do you deny it?"

"No."

"And so, without your favor, I no longer must stay away," Anann said, her terrifying grin growing wider.

"Do as you will to them, sister," Badb answered.

"I will, sister, I will." Anann disappeared.

Neit watched the two, and listened to the conversation. His wife's favor may have waned, but his had not. He would, at the very least, warn the Gaiscíoch of their doom.



Ard tossed and turned uneasily in his sleep. He was the Chief of the Gaiscíoch Warriors, and the one Neit did his best to contact.

"Do not go across the near ford. She awaits you there."

Ard gasped and sat up quickly. He shook his head of the strange dream, wondering it's meaning, before ignoring it, and going back to sleep. Neit sighed.

"His dreams have been closed to me tonight. I shall try again tomorrow night."

The next morning, Ard met with his strategists. They had planned the route so far, and so far they had been victorious under Badb's favor.

"Where are we going next?" Ard asked them. One of them, Aosta, a rather elderly man who did not do much of the fighting, preferring to plan the things behind the battle instead, answered him.

"We shall head to Tiarna. All that stands between them and us is land, and a small stream. There is a ford where we may cross here," Aosta said, showing Ard a spot on the map. Another strategist, Óg, a younger man, who both strategized and fought alongside Ard in battle spoke up in protest.

"And there is another ford here," he said, showing another spot on the map.

"This one is closer. We can reach it in three days. We would reach that ford in three weeks," Aosta argued.

"This one will allow us to come up behind any warriors they have prepared and catch them by surprise," Óg argued back.

"Enough," Chief Ard said, before the two could start a full blown argument. The words from his dream did not even come to the forefront of his mind. "We shall cross on the nearest ford. I don't know about you, but I look forward to getting back to my wife soon." Óg blushed brightly, and mumbled in agreement. "And we have not found any resistance against us yet. There will be none here. Remember, we hold Goddess Badb's favor."

"Oh, but you no longer do, you no longer do," Anann whispered, gleefully, to herself.