Part 3

Garrett came into his chamber late that night, thinking about what had happened that day. He just couldn't understand why he was the only one who received that Sending from Maeve earlier that day. The others couldn't have received it or else they would have said something. He knew he should've spoken when he had the chance.
What about that prophecy, and what Deirdre had talked about with Maeve? Deirdre had told the others what they had discussed, but something didn't seem right. Why would Maeve have a memory that gruesome? And did she know more about the prophecy? If she did, she must be hiding something or else she would have told Deirdre about it. . . . But would she? She never seemed to like Deirdre much. . . .
He sighed and sat on his bed, remembering the exact words Deirdre had used when she told them about their little talk. She had said that Maeve started acting a little suspicious when she told her about the prophecy. Now Garrett knew that Maeve was definitely hiding something from all of them, but what?
He took is shoes off and rested his head in his hands. Something was definitely up. It just had to be. Why else would the Mystic Knights be receiving all those Sendings---especially him?
He got undressed and into his night clothes and climbed in to his bed, still thinking of Maeve. He lay awake, still thinking of Maeve. He tried to close his eyes and go to sleep, but all he could think about was Maeve.
~Why is Maeve the only thing I can think about?~ he wondered.
In the darkness a picture of a stone appeared. He sat up, realizing that he was receiving a Sending and stayed silent as possible, trying to pay attention to every bit of it.
First there was the stone, then there was an image of a ship. After a few seconds he began to hear something. At first it sounded like the wind, but then he heard words forming.
Soon, he could hear that they were in Maeve's voice. They said, "Why am I staying here so long? Why can't I just get them and go?"
Garrett blinked in puzzlement. The picture of the stone came back to him, and then it disappeared. Everything was black. He was back in his dark chamber---if he even left it at all.
~What was that all about?~ he thought. ~Could Maeve be after something?~
He lay back down and tried to go to sleep, even if no sleep came.

The next day he entered the throne room and stopped once he saw Maeve. She looked innocent, but he was no fool. He would get to the bottom of this soon.
"Good morning, Garrett," Deirdre greeted. "Did you sleep well?"
Garrett jumped when he heard her. "Uhhh, no. I---I didn't get any sleep at all." He looked at Maeve, then turned to the others and said, "Did you get any more Sendings?"
"Nope," Rohan answered. "I see you're starting to control them, Maeve."
She shrugged. "I've been practicing a lot."
"You know," Angus said, "I still don't get how you do it, Maeve."
"It . . . it's sort of complicated," she replied. "But I still haven't quite mastered it yet."
"I'll say," Garrett thought out loud.
Everyone looked at him.
"Uuhhh . . . I mean . . . ummm . . ." he stuttered, trying to find the right words. "Um, I mean, since we got a Sending yesterday, I suppose she really still hasn't mastered it . . . yet."
"Mystic Knights," Cathbad hurriedly entered the room.
"What is it, Cathbad?" Ivar asked.
"I was just studying some scrolls." There was excitement in his eyes. "I found out something about that prophecy you were talking about yesterday."
"Go on," Deirdre said, interested.
Garrett saw Maeve starting to step back like she didn't want to be there.
Cathbad smiled. "It's not much, but at least it's something."
"And?" Angus said impatiently.
"I found out that the prophecy has something has to do with Kells, and that includes you, the Mystic Knights." The others gasped.
"What else did you get on it?" Deirdre asked.
"That's all." Cathbad relaxed. "But, little or not, it's still valuable information."
Rohan thought. "I wonder if Fin Varra has anything about it. We should go to him, just in case."
"And perhaps Maeve would care to join us." Deirdre suggested.
Maeve looked stunned. "Uh---I'm not sure if I want to or not. I don't want to get in the way of anything."
Garrett heard her voice in his mind saying, "What if they find out more about the prophecy? What if they find out why I'm here?"
A sly smile began to form on his face. "Oh, do come, Maeve. You won't be in the way." Ah, but the real reason he wanted her to come was to make sure she didn't try anything while the Mystic Knights were away, and he couldn't wait to see the look on her face if prophecy revealed her.
Maeve shot him a nasty look that said, "What are you trying to pull?"
Garrett ignored her.
"I agree with you," said Cathbad. "Maeve could help us find out what all this is about. AND it may have something to do with her."
"C'mon, Maeve, it'll be fun." Garrett smiled to himself.
Maeve was beat. "Oh . . . alright."
They left the castle and ventured forth to Tir na Nog.

The room was a buzz when they entered the underground kingdom of the little people. Fin Varra was directing the gold-counters as usual, and, at the same time, tasting the newest creation from his head chef. He noticed the Mystic Knights.
"Ahh, Mystic Knights. How have you been doing since Maeve was---AHHHH!" He pointed to her and yelled at the others, "What is SHE doing here?!"
"Don't worry," Ivar replied, "she's on our side now."
"Since WHEN?" Fin Varra remarked. "I won't have the former queen of Temra---who helped the evil Mider take over Tir na Nog---in my kingdom!"
"But like we told you, she's on our side now." Leave it to Angus to talk back to the respected Fin Varra. "And plus, she's still weak from when her powers were destroyed."
"And how do you know that?"
Angus shut up.
Rohan got to the point: "We came to you to ask if you had any information to give us about something important."
"Of course. I have lots of information. What is it you need to know?"
"We want to know about a certain prophecy," Deirdre chimed in. "All we know is that it has to do with the Mystic Knights and Kells."
"A prophecy, eh?" he commented. "You know prophecies is my specialty. Let me think." He rested his chin on his magic cane and then exclaimed quickly, "Ahh, yes! Rohan, do you remember the ancient scroll about Draganta?"
"Of course," Rohan said. "Draganta will bring peace to Kells for a hundred lifetimes."
"Of course he remembers it," Angus scoffed. "He memorized the entire thing."
"I was just researching," Rohan replied. "Go on, Fin Varra."
"There's a missing part of it."
Rohan's face lit up. "There is?!"
The fairy king nodded. "Yes. I only remember a small part of it, though. Someone has stolen it." He glared at Maeve and Angus.
"It wasn't me," they said in unison.
"Just checking." Fin Varra chuckled. "But I remember something from the ancient scroll that has to do with . . . Maeve . . ." He and everyone else looked at her.
She looked startled, but somehow not really so surprised. "Me?" she stuttered. "W---what did it say about me?"
"I'm not quite sure . . . something that has to do with . . . you and Temra joining Kells and the Mystic Knights."
"That must be why she's here," Garrett remarked.
"Garrett!" Deirdre scolded him. "We must trust Maeve." She looked at the former queen. "IS that why you came here?"
"Umm . . ."
Garrett smiled to himself. ~Come on, Maeve,~ he thought. ~Tell the truth. I know you're hiding something.~
"N---no."
~She can keep a secret better than I thought!~
He heard another Sending that was: "Do they suspect me? How can I not tell them when the subject keeps coming up? Why do they always look at me if something isn't right?"
He looked at her questioningly. She looked back but then quickly turned away, as if she knew Garrett really did suspect what she was thinking.
"Thank you for your knowledge, King Fin Varra." Rohan said. He was always a suck-up to such people like Cathbad, and Conchobar, and Fin Varra.
They left the tiny kingdom of the little people and went back outside.
Garrett walked behind the others and pulled Maeve back with him.
"I heard another one of your Sendings," he told her, "and I do suspect you. I think you should tell me what's going on . . . now."
Maeve stopped dead in her tracks. The others didn't look back to see what was going on, so they just left them standing there and went on ahead.
"You're here for something, I know that." He continued talking because he wanted to hear Maeve's excuse---which could take a long while to think up.
"I already told you." She started walking again, but slowly. "I didn't come here on purpose."
"Then why do you want to stay here?"
Maeve almost stopped again. Garrett had to pull her by the arm to keep her walking. "I . . . I just think I need a break from all that Training, that's all."
"Your Dragon Training? What does that have to do with us suspecting you?" Her face turned blank and she opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He smiled and said, "I thought so." He started walking faster to catch up with the other Mystic Knights.
"Why do you need to know everything?" her voice came from behind.
He turned around. "I'm just curious about your Sendings . . . why do you ask?"
"I want to know why you're so curious. There's nothing suspicious about them---well---not to me anyway."
"It just seems like they have something to do with you coming here. I mean, why else would you go to a Dragon Master and then end up here?"
"I didn't go to a Dragon Master and I didn't END UP here. The person who I was staying with at the time just happened to be a Dragon Master. And as I told you before, I came here because of a shipwreck and this was the nearest piece of land."
"You could've gone to Temra and stayed in the castle."
"I didn't want to go back there." Maeve started to think about before she had been banished. It seemed like just yesterday she was back in her old throne room ordering people around. ". . . If I did go back there my urge to conquer would have come back, and then you'd be in trouble."
"I can handle any sort of trouble you can bring."
"Are you quite sure about that?" Maeve gave him a Look.
"Is that a threat?"
"Of course not." She smiled slightly. "Do you want it to be? Because I can make it one if you want me to."
"No thank you." Garrett almost laughed. "I think you've given Kells plenty threats and I don't think we need anymore."
She thought, ~Good, we're just laughing. That means he won't be asking me any more of those questions.~
Garrett heard this in his head and decided not to ask about anything more. He had received enough information until the next Sending. He couldn't wait till then.

Maeve and Garrett reached Kells way after all the other Mystic Knights did. In fact, it was after noon when they arrived at the castle.
"And where have you two been?" Rohan came between them and rested his arms casually on their shoulders.
"We were just talking," Garrett replied.
"That's what they all say." Angus snickered and winked at them.
Maeve stepped forward as if she were to strangle him but Rohan held her back.
~Someday I'm going to get Angus so bad he won't know what hit him. Oh no, did I Send that?~ She looked over at Garrett and he nodded. "I---" she started to say, then he hushed her.
"It's all right," he whispered. "Sometimes I feel like doing the same thing."
Maeve excused herself and headed for her chamber. No one got any more Sendings for the rest of the day. Cathbad continued searching for the ancient prophecy, and nobody saw Maeve again that day except for when Rohan went to tell her good-night.
Garrett, like last night, couldn't sleep. His thoughts were swarming madly around him and he kept wondering what Maeve was going to do next.
How could the others fall for her? Hadn't they received any Sendings, like the ones he did? Didn't they suspect her ONE BIT? Had they been bewitched?
He sighed. ~When am I ever going to find out what Maeve is doing here? I really wonder what she's doing now. She's probably asleep. But you never know about HER.~
He started to lift the bed covers and climb out of bed.
~I really do wonder what she's doing now. She spent half the day in her chamber. She must be up to something important. I wonder what it is. She probably won't mind if I take a little look,~ he thought slyly.
He crept down the halls. ~Just to see what she's up to, and then back to bed.~
When he reached Maeve's chamber he noticed light shining through the bottom of the door. He opened it and saw Maeve sitting on her bed, looking at a collection of stones. She looked up with a surprised face, and quickly stood up and started to take a pouch off her bed.
"And what are you up to?" Garrett asked.
"Uh, I---uh . . ." she held up one of the stones to show him. "I'm starting a rock collection."
He laughed. "Really? I thought you'd have more time than that."
"Apparently I don't." She laughed too.
"Wouldn't you be quite busy making up excuses to explain why you're here?" He regretted it once he said it. He covered his mouth with his hand.
"You still don't believe me, do you?" She silently started to pick up the stones on her bed and put them in the pouch one by one.
As Garrett watched her he suddenly remembered the prophecy. The memory started to get stronger, and soon he realized that he was getting another Sending. "You're Sending again," he said.
"Ohhh," she wondered out loud, "how come I can control my Sendings to all the others, but not to you?"
"I don't know." He scratched his chin with innocence. "Maybe it's because I'm physic." He smiled at her.
"Yeah right," she said. "And I'm Deirdre of Kells."
Garrett eyed her. "Deirdre?" he played along. "I knew you were playing some kind of trick on us."
"What?" she started.
"I'm just kidding," he said. He started to laugh.
Maeve smiled and shook her head. "So . . ." she began, "why did you come to see me?"
He paused for a long time. "I just came here to . . . uhh . . ."
She gave him a questioning look. "You're spying on me, aren't you?"
"Uh, no, of course not."
"Come on Garrett, you know I can tell if someone's spying on me. Why do you not trust me? Aren't my explanations good enough?"
Garrett wanted to say, "Not to me," but then he would have to correct himself. What he said instead was, "They're good excuses. I just want to . . . hang out."
"Hang out?"
He nodded, not knowing what else to say. It was to late at night to do anything else.
"I guess we could hang out," she said. "Unless you only want to be around me to find out the true reason why I'm here."
"Maybe, maybe not," Garrett said. "Or maybe I want to be with you for the same reasons Rohan does."
"What did he say?" she asked eagerly.
"Why don't you go talk to him," he said as he left the room.

Rohan was strolling down the halls the next morning, heading for Cathbad's chamber so he could learn more about being a druid's apprentice, when he saw Maeve coming towards him. "Good morning, Maeve," he said.
She ignored his greeting. "I need to ask you something."
"Anything."
"Why do you want me to stay here?"
He paused for a moment. He never thought Maeve would ever ask him that. But she was the kind of person you could never come to a conclusion to.
She asked again, "What is the real reason why you want me to stay here? Tell me the truth, Rohan."
"I just believe in giving people a chance. Is there any harm in that?"
"I suppose not," she said. Then she thought out loud, "Perhaps that's also why Garrett wants me to stay. But it doesn't seem right for him to want ME here."
"What are you talking about, Maeve?"
"Nothing. Garrett paid a visit to me last night and we talked."
"About what?"
"Nothing in particular. I'm still trying to figure out why he came to speak to me in the first place."
Rohan shrugged. "Maybe he wants to be friends."
"That still doesn't seem right. Why would he want to be friends with ME?"
"Possibly the same reason I do."
"That's what Garrett said."
"I've noticed that Garrett's been hanging around you a lot lately, Maeve." He smiled. "Maybe he wants to be more than friends with you."
"Or maybe he's desperate." They both laughed.