Disclaimer: "Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog" and its' characters are owned by Saban and whoever else was involved with the creation and production of this show. Any new characters and story lines that come into play are of my own creation. No copyright infringement is intended. This is a fanfiction intended for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made off of it.
Chapter 10: The Dark Bog
Garrett was standing in his chambers gazing out the window. He was concerned whether Temra would attack and what the remaining Mystic Knights would do if such an event would occur.
His thoughts quickly turned to Deirdre. He couldn't help but worry about her, knowing that she was thinking about Rohan. Garrett was running out of patience about Deirdre's decision but he knew that the time wasn't right to ask.
Garrett could see Deirdre working on a plan just in case Temra attacked. Her eyes would be focused on the task but perhaps her mind would be lingering on something or someone. In Garrett's mind, the red hair and sky colored eyes became golden hair and emerald eyes.
A scowl appeared on Garrett's face as he thought about the abrasive girl. True, Deirdre spoke her mind, but in a different way than Aderyn did.
Someone knocked on his door, causing the image to vanish from Garrett's mind. "Enter."
Ivar opened the door and saw the look on Garrett's face. "What is on your mind, Garrett?" Ivar said once he had stepped into the room.
Garrett shook his head. "It's nothing, Ivar."
Ivar raised an eyebrow, knowing that something was occurring in Garrett and that it probably had something to do with Deirdre.
Ivar nodded anyway, knowing that Garrett didn't want to discuss it. "King Conchobar wishes to speak with us."
"Of course," Garrett said quickly as he stepped out of the room, not even allowing Ivar time to tell him what Conchobar wished to talk to them about.
Ivar shook his head, wondering why every Mystic Knight, except him, seemed to be having trouble with their love lives.
As Macha had predicted, they reached the Dark Bog not long after the sun had gone below the horizon. Angus suggested that they make camp as far from the bog as possible and everyone agreed with Angus. None of them knew what was in the Dark Bog, besides the Healing Well, and they didn't want any beasts to find them and make them into a meal.
Once the sun had risen, they secured their horses a safe distance from the bog. As they reached the edge of the Bog, they heard something coming towards them from the bog.
Rohan and Angus readied their weapons, both imaging horrific creatures stepping out from the Dark Bog. They both wondered if they would be able to defeat it without calling upon their armors.
The white stallion with the flaming mane and tail stepped out from the shadows, casting light throughout the dreary and dark bog. His intelligent eyes looked at Rohan and Angus, but he did not seem concerned about the weapons that were aimed right at him.
"Follow me. I shall take you on a safe path," the stallion said within their minds.
"That horse can talk!" Angus exclaimed his mouth hanging open.
Rohan thought that the flaming mane and tail was the strangest part.
"Actually it speaks within our minds," Aderyn explained as she walked toward the stallion.
Rohan and Angus looked at Aderyn with raised eyebrows and then turned to look at Macha.
"Aderyn and I met the horse within the Hedge when he had to pass through fire to prove our faith," Macha explained as she stepped toward the waiting stallion.
"Ye had to walk through fire?" Angus exclaimed with a frown.
"Yes," Macha replied knowing that her and Angus would probably have another talk, but not at the time.
"Let's go, Angus. Macha and Aderyn trust the horse," Rohan said as he grabbed his friend's arm and pulled him into the bog.
They followed the white stallion through the Bog. The stallion warned them to avoid the water as much as possible, especially since there were creatures in its depths that would enjoy having fresh meat.
They all silently agreed to avoid the water so but they of course could not avoid the smell. The path that the stallion took them down was uneven and at times, it seemed as though they went in circles.
The trees all had twisted trunks and dangling dark vines hanging from their limbs. Rohan had to be more careful to avoid the dangling vines that he swore he had seen them move and tried to grab him around the neck.
Angus and Rohan had their weapons drawn, just in case. Aderyn and Macha didn't have their weapons in hand, but the two Mystic Knights knew that the two girls would be able to grab them quickly.
It seemed as though they had been walking in the bog for days, when the stallion stopped abruptly in which almost caused Angus to run into him.
"Here is the Healing Well." The stallion stepped into a clearing and off to the side so that they could see the well.
"That is not a well. That is a lake!" Angus exclaimed as he stepped into the clearing, just past the stallion. The clearing was large than the castle of Kells and the lake about the size of the castle.
"Actually it is more the size of a pond than a lake, but I do understand what you are saying, Angus," Aderyn replied, gazing at the clear water that seemed to shimmer as though the moon and stars were shining down upon it, even though the sky was blocked by the trees.
"You must enter the water with the Eternal Flame within your hands. Then you shall be healed. You can not bring the Amulet of Life or the Crystal of Sight into the water."
Macha took the Crystal of sight out of her pouch and handed it to Angus. Then she removed the Amulet of Life from around her neck and handed it to Aderyn.
She stepped toward the Healing Well with determination and without fear. As she reached the edge of the water, she took the Eternal Flame out of her pouch and placed the fire directly on her hand.
The fire was warm but it did not burn her.
Macha walked into the water until she was completely immersed. Angus was surprised that he felt so calm and he wondered if it was because of the lake or that he just knew that Macha was all right.
Light erupted from the place where Macha had disappeared into the water. The light shot into the air, causing the branches above her to move out of the light, allowing the group to see the sky.
Aderyn, Rohan and Angus had to look away from the beautiful and enchanting light. When the light faded, they turned to watch as Macha stepped out of the water.
Her shimmering silver hair was dry as were her clothes as she stepped onto land. Her eyes closed as she thanked Brigid with a smile on her lips. When her eyes opened, she looked at Angus.
Angus smiled at Macha, but the smile vanished as he watched Macha drop to the ground, her eyes closed.
"Macha!" Angus yelled as he ran to her and checked to see if she were breathing. He turned to look at the stallion, anger in his eyes.
The stallion bowed his head, knowing that Angus needed some answers. "She will be weak for a little while. She is still connected with you and the other Mystic Knights, but she shall not be harmed when they call upon their power."
"What do ye mean that she is still connected to our armor? I thought that this was supposed to put a stop to all that!" Angus yelled, as he held Macha in his arms.
The white stallion raised his head; his gold eyes looked into Angus. "She used powerful magic and there are consequences. As I said, she will not be harmed if you use your armor's powers, but she is still connected."
"In what way?" Rohan asked.
The white stallion turned his head to look at Rohan. "That is for her to discover, Draganta. Return to the path that brought you here and return the same way. Do not stray from that path or you shall be lost within the bog for eternity."
Before they could say a word, the white stallion turned, and galloped off disappearing into the darkness. Aderyn shrugged and walked up to Angus silently offering to help carry Macha.
Rohan, Angus and Aderyn stepped out of the Dark Bog and into the bright sunshine. The feeling of darkness from the Dark Bog disappeared instantly, as did the smell, which they were extremely glad hadn't clung to their clothing.
Angus looked down at Macha, whom he still held in his arms and checked once again to make sure she was breathing. He was worried that she hadn't woken up yet but he trusted Aderyn's word that her sister would be all right.
Aderyn, Angus and Rohan saw dark spots high in the sky headed straight towards them. As the dark forms came closer, they could tell that they were some type of winged creatures. They knew that the creatures had been sent by Nemain and was after them.
The creatures landed before them, their scaly green skin gleaming in the sunlight. Aderyn backed away in disgust. To her, it looked as though they had once been men, but now they were covered in scales, their dark hair protruding from their horned heads. Their hands had long nails that looked sharp enough to cut through stone.
Somehow, Aderyn knew that these creatures had once been men. They had been changed into hideous monsters with dark magic.
Rohan unsheathed his sword and was about to call upon his armor when the creature closest to him raised its arms. They were thrown back and landed roughly onto the ground. Angus clung to Macha, shielding her with his own body.
The creature laughed as though it had ashes in its mouth. He raised its hand and pointed at Rohan. Rohan gasped as pain shot through him. His eyes closed and he lay on the ground, not moving.
"Rohan!" Aderyn yelled as she got to her feet and leaped at the creature, withdrawing her weapons.
The creature didn't flinch as she brought her sword down onto its shoulder. Aderyn looked in shock as her sword bounced off from the scaly skin, not even cutting into the flesh.
Another creature stepped forward and hit Aderyn in the face, sending her flying off to the side. Blood began to trickle from the wound on her face.
Angus tried to hold onto Macha, but one of the creatures pulled her out of his arms. Angus tried to stand and get Macha back, but the creature that had hit Aderyn, kicked him in the leg.
Angus fell to the ground clutching his leg. He watched with horror as a creature picked up Rohan and slung the Mystic Knight of Fire of its shoulder. The creatures spread their wings and rose into the air.
"ROHAN! MACHA!" Angus screamed as he watched his best friend and the love of his life being carried away. He continued to scream their names until he could no longer see them in the sky.
He tried to stand but his leg wouldn't allow him to place any pressure on it. He carefully scooted over to where Aderyn lay. He prayed to Dagda and to Brigid that Aderyn was all right and that Rohan and Macha would be safe.
A cloaked Torc cast another glance over his shoulder. He had been traveling all day, hoping that Nemain wouldn't notice his absence. He didn't want her sending some of his own soldiers to find him or worse, those creatures that she had come to use more often. Torc shivered at the thought of those creatures being sent out to find him.
He had thought about what he was going to do and decided it was the only way. He reached the first part of his destination and breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly scanned the sky, making certain that there were no winged beasts out to grab him.
He walked carefully down to rocky terrain and into a small outcropping of rock. The waves crashed against the rocks, spraying him with the salty water, but he ignored the cold drops that landed on his face. He found the boat that was tied to a pole with a thick rope. He quickly untied the rope and pulled the boat out into the shallow water. He jumped into the boat and pulled out a paddle. He began to paddle against the waves, determination on his face.
His eyes continued to scan the sky as he thought about why he was doing this. He hoped that there would be enough time.
guardianM3: I know, I know, the "Dark Bog" isn't the most creative name, but it works. At least, I think it does. Anyway, please review. I hope this chapter is long enough and is interesting.