Chapter 21: How to Save a Life
Twigs slashed against his face as Angus kept pushing the horse to go faster on his way back to Tir Na Nog. The stars above him had already vanished for the most part and the black of night had made way for a dark blue that was becoming brighter with every passing moment.
The Mystic Knight knew that they would still be able to hold the ritual even if he arrived after the sun had come up, but Fin Varra had pointed out that it would be most powerful at dawn and he didn't want to take any chances. Rohan's condition had already been bad when he had left Kells and there was no way of knowing how he was doing by now.
Angus closed his eyes for a second as a thought he had been trying to push away for the past hours forced its back way into his mind. What if Rohan was already dead? If he was too late?
No! Angus shook his head, dismissing the possibility. Rohan couldn't be dead, not after everything that had happened, not when he was so close to saving him.
He pushed the horse to go even faster, although his chest was hurting with every movement. The blow he had received from Deirdre's new weapon not even a day ago had without a doubt bruised a few of his rips, but he pushed the pain aside, not allowing it to slow him down. He would make it back to Tir Na Nog in time. He had to…
Upon Ivar's return to Kells the castle lay silent as could be expected at this early hour, but the gate was opened as soon as he approached, allowing him to ride into the courtyard unhindered. Two soldiers were waiting for him and one of them took the reins of his horse from him the instant the prince had dismounted. The other one indicated for Ivar to follow him.
"The King ordered me to wait for your arrival and to escort you into the throne room without delay," he announced dutifully. Ivar simply nodded and followed the man inside, knowing that time was of the essence.
The interior of the castle was completely quiet, even though Ivar noticed the increase in soldiers on guard duty or on patrol right away. Everyone turned their heads as the prince walked past, but the atmosphere was so depressing that he couldn't quite shake the feeling of heading straight into a tomb.
As they finally entered the throne room, the foreign prince found it much more illuminated than before his departure. There was fresh wood in the fireplace and the flames had been reignited, giving off comforting light and warmth, both highly appreciated in this difficult hour.
King Conchobar was the only one present at the moment and he stood from his throne the instant he noticed the two arrivals.
"Guard, notify Cathbad that Prince Ivar has returned."
The soldier gave a curt bowed to his regent and then left the room in a hurry to bring the news to the druid.
As soon as he had left, Conchobar scrutinised Ivar in surprise before he spoke, his voice heavy with worry and fatigue.
"Has King Fin Varra been able to provide a cure for Rohan? I fear his condition has only been getting worse. And where is Angus? Why did he not return with you?"
"Sadly, I did not bring a cure with me, but I've come back to take Rohan to Tir Na Nog. The Little People know of a way to heal him with the help of an old ritual Fin Varra is going to perform. Angus went to… to procure an artefact needed for that," Ivar explained hesitantly.
He knew it had been a high risk to allow Angus to go to Temra on his own, but he trusted his friend and it wasn't as if there had been much of an alternative anyway.
Conchobar furrowed his brow at this, instinctively knowing that there was something the prince wasn't telling him, but he chose to go for the most pressing topic first.
"That's undoubtedly good news, but I'm afraid Rohan is in no condition to travel. Even the ride on a carriage would surely be lethal to him at this point."
Ivar nodded, having expected as much.
"That's why Fin Varra gave me this," he announced, pulling a scroll of parchment out of one of his pockets. "This scroll has been enchanted with a spell that will teleport Rohan to Tir Na Nog within seconds."
"Let me have a look at this, Prince Ivar." The unmistakeable voice of Cathbad came from the top of the wooden staircase leading to his chamber, and the two royals in the throne room looked up to see the wise old druid enter. His expression was grim, weighted down by the emotional strain of the past hours.
Ivar handed the parchment over and Cathbad nodded a few times to himself as he read the words inscribed on it.
"Yes, yes, this will work. I recognise Fin Varra's magic in the scroll; it will be strong enough to transport Rohan, myself and everyone else who wishes to accompany us to Tir Na Nog in an instant. But Ivar, tell me more about this ritual you mentioned. How exactly is it supposed to heal Rohan?"
Reluctantly, Ivar explained what little he knew about the link that was going to be formed between Rohan and Angus, knowing that the prospect of possibly dangerous consequences would not serve to ease the minds of either Cathbad or the king.
When he had finished his short explanation, Conchobar looked at him warily, still sensing that there was more to it than the prince was willing to share.
"And where exactly did Angus go to find this magical artefact needed for the ritual?"
Certain that neither of the two older men would like the answer, Ivar hesitated to reply. He glanced over at Cathbad, but found that the druid was looking at him with the same questioning gaze as the king. Sighing, he finally answered.
"Temra. He went to Temra to get Queen Maeve's rune stone, because it's the only thing Fin Varra knew would work."
"Have you lost your mind?" King Conchobar asked incredulously. "I understand that Angus' guilty conscience is making him reckless and willing to take any risk at the moment, but I'd thought that you would know better than this, Ivar. What should keep Maeve from simply forcing Angus under her control again? After everything that happened you might just have allowed her most valuable soldier to return to her, making all of our efforts, all of Rohan's efforts, obsolete."
Ivar was effectively stunned into silence by this. He had been sure that the element of surprise that Angus had on his side would be enough to get him safely back out of Temra, but the angry accusation of King Conchobar now made him fully realise what an enormous risk his friend was actually taking. To his surprise, however, Cathbad didn't agree with the king.
"No, not necessarily, my Lord. The fact that Angus broke Maeve's control over him on his own makes it highly possible that he is now immune to any future attempts of mind-control. And, while I agree that it was indeed a great risk Angus took by returning to Temra, his unique position also makes him the only one able to retrieve Maeve's rune stone in what little time Rohan has left."
Ivar glanced at the druid gratefully, relieved that he agreed with his decision to let Angus go.
"Everything we can do now is to trust that Angus will succeed with his plan and do our part and get Rohan to Tir Na Nog before dawn. We still have about an hour until the sun rises, but we should nevertheless start to prepare." With that Cathbad turned around and left the throne room again via the wooden staircase, Ivar following behind, anxious to see for himself how Rohan was doing.
They had moved Rohan to lie on the floor, his head resting on a soft pillow, his injury carefully re-wrapped by Cathbad. Deirdre was right beside him, a warm blanket in her arms to protect the unconscious man from the cold air of the early morning, as soon as they arrived in the stone circle above Tir Na Nog.
Ivar hadn't been able to tell them much about the exact procedure of the ritual Fin Varra would perform, except that it wouldn't take place in Tir Na Nog itself, but within the magical fairy ring above, making it necessary to make sure Rohan wouldn't be exposed to the elements for too long, given his weakened state.
Checking their preparations one last time, Cathbad looked around the room once more to be sure they hadn't forgotten anything. Rohan, Deirdre, Ivar and himself would be going and the druid was standing in the middle of the small group now, the teleportation scroll in hand.
The Mystic Knights of Air and Water both had their weapons with them, just in case, and kept glancing at Rohan repeatedly to check on his condition. He was still extremely pale and his breathing was shallow and barely noticeable, causing Deirdre to not leave his side even for a moment.
When Cathbad was sure they were sufficiently prepared, he unrolled the parchment and threw a glance at Deirdre and Ivar.
"Brace yourselves."
Both royals nodded quickly in reply, signalling that they were ready, whereupon the druid started to read the spell from the scroll out loud.
The transportation really was instantaneous. There was a brief flash of light and when they could see again, the castle walls around them had vanished, making way for the massive trees of the forest and the impressive stones of the fairy ring.
For a moment everyone stood in silence as they took in their surroundings in the dim light just before dawn. Only a few stars were still faintly visible in the slowly brightening cloudless sky above them, and the leaves were rustling in a light breeze of cool morning air.
However, the quiet was broken when Fin Varra and several of his guards appeared beside them, startling the humans. The first thing the fairy king did was move his long cane around for a moment, causing orbs of light to form above some of the larger stones in the circle, illuminating the entire area.
Now that they could see better, Deirdre was the first to notice that Rohan wasn't on the ground anymore, but instead was lying on top of the massive altar-like rock that served as the entrance to Tir Na Nog. Before she could say anything about that, though, the fairy king greeted them cheerfully.
"Ah, I'm glad to see that you have made it back so quickly, Ivar. And of course the Princess and Cathbad have joined you. I'm afraid Angus hasn't returned yet, but there is still enough time until sunrise, so no need to worry."
Fin Varra looked up at Rohan, who was still deeply unconscious, and a concerned expression flickered across his features, but the fairy king merely cleared his throat and continued, sounding as optimistic as before.
"As there seems to be nothing left to prepare for the ritual, I guess all we can do now is wait."
Deirdre had stepped over to Rohan and was now gently laying the blanket she had brought on top of him to keep him warm, while making sure that he was resting as comfortably as possible on the hard surface. She was worn out by the constant fear for her friend's life and barely listened as Cathbad approached Fin Varra now, still having a few questions.
"We are all very grateful for the help you and your people have offered in order to heal Rohan, but I'm still concerned about this ritual. Ivar said that it has never been performed with humans before and I'm worried what dangers this might imply."
The fairy king nodded, finding his own fears mirrored by the druid.
"Yes, yes, it isn't without risk, I'm afraid. But there is no other way I know of to save Rohan and Angus is aware of the risk he is taking. The role he played in causing Draganta's condition won't allow him to sit back, no matter what this means for his own safety."
Cathbad sighed, knowing all too well how true this was. Angus had always been willing to sacrifice everything for Rohan and now that he had almost caused his death, he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't try everything in his power to save him. That was also the reason why Cathbad would not prevent him from taking part in the ritual, even if he had known for sure that it was dangerous.
It wasn't because he valued Rohan's life more than that of the former thief, but because he knew that Angus' life would effectively be over the moment his best friend died from the injury caused by his hand.
As there was nothing else left to do, Cathbad, Ivar, Deirdre and Fin Varra waited in silence as the minutes crept past, all of them becoming increasingly tense as sunrise was approaching. Birds had begun singing a while ago and every sound in the woods made them turn their heads in anticipation of Angus' arrival, but so far there was no sign of him.
"The sun's going to come up any minute now, where is he?" Deirdre asked desperately, anger seeping into her voice.
"Trust me, he's coming. He wouldn't let Rohan down," Ivar tried to reassure the princess, but to the young woman this statement was nothing more than a bad joke. Before she could tell this to Ivar, though, the sound of hooves thundering on the forest floor coming in their direction at a fast pace cut her short.
Angus had finally arrived and when he came into view, the strained expression on his face quickly made way for a small smile, although the exertion of the long ride was still clearly visible in his entire posture.
Ivar and Cathbad walked over to him as the dark haired man dismounted his horse, but Deirdre stayed where she was, right next to Rohan. From her position she could see Angus' face as he got out of the saddle and she noticed him wince at the movement, her brow furrowing slightly in confusion. No one else seemed to have picked up on the former thief's reaction, though, and he appeared to be perfectly fine as he now talked to Cathbad and Ivar.
He reached into one of his pockets and pulled a plain white crystal out of it which he then held up, a determined look in his eyes.
"I've got it. Now let's do this." He pushed past his friends and went right to Fin Varra to hand him the stone, not wasting any more time.
"What now? What do I have to do?"
Fin Varra gestured for him to keep the stone as he eyed the much taller man in front of him sceptically. Angus did his best to avoid the scrutinising gaze, but said nothing.
"Are you alright, Angus? You are looking quite pale," the fairy king finally wondered, causing the others to look at the Mystic Knight of Earth more closely as well. Even Deirdre, who was still hovering over Rohan, had to admit that the former thief was paler than usual, but she ignored it and instead kept urging the others inwardly to finally start the ritual.
Angus was apparently thinking the same, as he quickly nodded his head.
"The ride was long and exhausting. I'll probably sleep for a day when this is over, but other than that I'm fine."
Fin Varra kept his eyes on the young man for a few more seconds, but before he could reply anything, Ivar stepped forward, clearly worried about his friend.
"I could do the ritual, too. As I understand it, it's going to be quite the strain and if you're not feeling well –" But Angus interrupted him immediately.
"No, I said I'm fine. I'll do it; I have to do it," he announced resolutely, looking directly at Ivar.
The blue clad prince returned his gaze for a moment, before he finally nodded in agreement. He understood Angus' determination and knew that there was no way his friend would let him take his place in this.
"Alright," King Fin Varra concluded in a loud tone, drawing everyone's attention back to him. "I guess you wouldn't tell us if there was something wrong, anyway. Let us proceed then. We're going to need some of your blood, Angus."
The former thief raised an eyebrow in surprise, but it was Cathbad who spoke first, his voice uncharacteristically sharp.
"Why do you need that? I would never have thought that the Little People would practice or even condone blood magic, King Fin Varra."
The fairy king shook his head in reply, and hurried to respond to the druid's insinuation.
"No, no, no, this isn't blood magic. Blood magic is crude, violent, this is just… a symbol that helps to form the connection. We'll need a drop each from Angus and Rohan, nothing more."
Not really sure what this exchange was all about, Ivar and Angus looked from Fin Varra to Cathbad and back again, before focusing once more on the task at hand. Ivar pulled a knife from his belt and handed it to his friend, who took it immediately and pricked the tip of one of his fingers with it.
"Now what?" he asked the king of the Little People.
"Put one drop on the rune stone, then do the same with Rohan's blood."
Angus quickly dropped his own blood on the crystal in his hand, but he couldn't move towards Rohan, not with the knife in his hand. His eyes were now fixated on the unconscious blond man and he found that he was rooted to the spot.
"Let me." Sensing the dilemma of his friend, Ivar took the knife out of Angus' hand again and approached Rohan. Deirdre, who was still next to him, held up one of Rohan's hands and watched as Ivar drew a little blood from it. Now Angus came over as well, the rune stone still in his hand, but he carefully avoided looking at the princess. He couldn't possibly face her again before this was over; before he had made sure Rohan lived.
When the preparation of the rune stone was complete, Angus turned his head back towards Fin Varra, but didn't even have to ask what to do next.
"Put the stone on Rohan's chest and then everyone except Angus has to leave the circle."
They followed the instructions, but just as Deirdre and Ivar were about to step out of the fairy ring, Angus held the foreign prince back for another moment. His voice was very quiet when he spoke so only Ivar could hear him.
"If this goes wrong," Angus raised a hand to keep the other man from interrupting as he noticed his worried expression. "I don't think it will, but just in case, I want you to take a look in my saddle bag. I took one more little parting gift from Maeve," he added with a smirk, earning himself a look of confusion from Ivar.
Before the prince could ask anything else, however, he had to leave the circle and soon Angus found himself standing next to Rohan alone. He looked into his friend's pale face once more, praying inwardly that the ritual would work, that all of this wouldn't turn out to have been futile.
"You might want to sit down, Angus. It is time."
The former thief looked up again and even through the thick forest he could now see the first rays of sunlight shining over the horizon. He sat down on the earth, his back resting against the stone Rohan was lying on; tense, but as ready as he would ever be.
"Here we go," he muttered to himself and nodded shortly to the others, who were watching him with concerned expressions from right outside the fairy ring.
Fin Varra raised his staff and pointed it at the two men in front of him, reciting verses in a language none of the humans could understand, not even Cathbad. The sun that was shining through the trees gave both Angus and Rohan an almost glowing appearance, but as the glow slowly intensified, Deirdre noticed that it wasn't the light coming from the rising sun, but rather from the two men themselves.
Angus had closed his eyes and the princess noticed that his expression was strained, his breathing laboured, but she paid little attention to it and instead focused on Rohan, trying to see if his condition was improving at all.
The glowing aura was now covering the entire centre of the stone circle, moving and swirling, its intensity increased by the rays of sunlight shining through the forest. This impressive display went on for several minutes, accompanied by Fin Varra's voice, but when the fairy king stopped his chanting, the glow vanished in an instant, leaving no sign that anything out of the ordinary had just transpired.
Nobody moved for a moment, all of them too overwhelmed by what they had just witnessed, but when Deirdre saw Rohan's hand twitch slightly, there was no stopping her. The princess rushed forward and was next to the blond man in a heartbeat, on the opposite side of the stone altar from where Angus was still sitting, and took his hand in hers gently.
"Rohan? Rohan can you hear me?" she asked, hope shining in her eyes, but still with a small trace of fear in her voice. There was no answer at first and while Deirdre kept staring at Rohan, Ivar had arrived in the centre of the stone circle, too, but he crouched down next to Angus, worry clearly evident in his expression.
"Angus, are you alright?" He laid a hand on the sitting man's shoulder and to his great relief, Angus' eyes snapped open at the touch. He stared up at his friend, obviously still shaken from the ritual.
"Did it work?" His voice sounded forced, his eyes pleading to know if Rohan was alright.
Looking up at the leader of the Mystic Knights, Ivar noticed that Cathbad had now stepped next to him as well and was examining his former apprentice carefully.
"Cathbad, how is he? Did it work?"
It wasn't the druid who answered this question, though, but Deirdre.
She was still holding Rohan's hand and yelped in surprise as his grip suddenly became firm. In the next moment, the blond man's eyes opened and he looked up at the princess, visibly confused about what was going on.
"Rohan, you're back." Deirdre's voice was choked-up with tears, but they were tears of joy, and the smile on her face was the brightest she had worn in a very long time.
Infected by Deirdre's happiness, Ivar practically beamed as he looked back down at Angus, relief washing through him. His grip on his friend's shoulder tightened reassuringly as he conveyed the great news.
"Rohan's awake again. You did it, Angus!" However, the smile died quickly on his lips as there was no response. Ivar shook the sitting man slightly, but nothing happened, except from his head dropping forward a little.
"Angus? Cathbad, quick, he's not answering anymore."
The druid rushed over to them and examined Angus, his brow creased with worry, but was relieved to find that the young man was still alive and merely unconscious. For a moment he had been afraid that the former thief had actually traded his own life for Rohan's, as he had been prepared to do.
Cathbad turned to Fin Varra for help, wanting to know if this was a common side effect of the ritual, but only learned that among the Little People it wasn't. As this was still the first time it was performed with humans, however, they had no way of knowing if the reaction was normal or if something had gone horribly wrong.
Only time would tell.
To be continued…