Suddenly the scene evaporated. Sara had been so immersed that she had heard bugs and smelled horses. But now it was all gone. She stood in a fog.
"Enough." Cathain spoke.
Cathain stood in front of Sara, a much older Cathain. Her hair was grey and tied in a simple knot. She wore well worn breeches and a shirt. She looked as if she had been cleaning stables or turning compost.
"No more of this . There is naught here but unhappiness. You . . . I . . . Don't have to relive this again over and over into eternity." Cathain sat an a rock that conveniently appeared from the greyness.
"Isn't that what I'm here for?"Sara asked. "To learn some secret?"
"It is not a secret. Would that it were, my pride would have suffered less. You can look it up in any Irish ancient history text. Conchobar and I were lovers. He was an ass. I left him. That's all anyone needs to know."
"I will tell you enough that you will understand what has happened . But I won't detail all the slights, the humiliation. Conchobar has paid for it. It doesn't need to be repeated anymore. This is the story."
"Conchobar and I met when we of a romantic age. There was an attraction between us that seemed more real than life itself. I, who hadn't had any use for being female, became a woman. He was the first and only man that lit that fire in me."
"At the beginning we were young and free of responsibilities so life was good. But as we matured, and took on the roles life had laid out for us - me a lord's daughter and him heir to the throne, things changed. We grew into the people we were going to be. I was skilled in battle arts. He was skilled in leadership. I swore to back him in his fight. We fought long and hard and then came the time to enjoy what we had won."
Sara said, "Yeah, so that's I was just watching. You found out he was going to marry someone else and you wouldn't stick around to play second fiddle. I can understand that".
"Yes, that is basically the story - insulted, diminished. But there's more that you have not seen. And I will not tell you. It shames me that what he did, I submitted to. I did not deserve the abuse, but worse is knowing I am capable of it myself."
"If it's so awful why bring it up?"
"I'm telling you so you will know this: he has paid for it - every lifetime from then till now, he has suffered."
"How?"
"Iona, my sister and I conjured a geas - We were angry enough to pay the price to punish Conchobar. In every one of his lives he remembers - everything. He endures our pain over and again."
Sara finally noticed that Cathain not only was without armor, she did not wear the Witchblade.
"What did you do with the Witchblade? When did you get rid of it.?"
"The Witchblade did not rest easy when I withdrew. So I returned it to the Sidhe. I threw it in a sacred well. I hadn't known how desperate Conchobar would be to get me and it back. I didn't foresee he would sacrifice my dear sister. But by then I no longer had the blade and her death was for nothing."
Cathain looked aside and rubbed her temples.
"The trouble with eternity is that it does get repetitious. By forcing Conchobar to suffer I have been more cruel then he ever was. His sins only lasted one lifetime. . . With each new lifetime he has grown to be a better person. Just as you are me, yet better. Now I will end it. He won't suffer in his next lifetime. You. . . I . . . don't need to suffer this again. Let it be done. Here. Now."
Cathain stood "The geas ends here. The remembering ends here. I forgive Conchobar. May his future lives be free of this burden."
"How will we find each other?" Sara asked.
"You will."
**********************
"What's that noise?" Sara returned to consciousness at the sound of her watch alarm. It took a couple of seconds for her to remember where she was. Taking a nap from driving west of Ulster towards the setting sun.
The nap had just made things worse. She was having serious trouble deciding what to do and she knew that she couldn't drive like that - well, she could if she had to but what the heck! "It's a vacation. I don't know where I'm going anyway so what's the rush?" On the map she located a small town coming up - might as well look for a room and dinner.
At the next town there was a pub clearly marked as offering rooms. With all the Americans looking for their roots, Sara fit right in. Sara registered and took her travel bag to the room. A bathroom break and washing her face helped her to wake up enough to get something to eat so she went back into the tavern for a meal.
There were a few townspeople there and more drifted in as she ate. Everyone seemed friendly but left her to herself. Sara thought about mingling but the fatigue just wouldn't let up. So she returned to the room to make an early night. Soon she was in bed and dropping off.
In the very early morning hours a woman in gym shorts and t-shirt walked out of the inn. Barefoot. Her long hair fanned out in the predawn breeze.
((Now is the time to recover it. Out where she left it, stored it, hid it. The moon is bright. The pebbles sting feet. Not far. The little path behind the inn to the brook. Down the brook about 40 paces. One, two, the third chair sized rock. The east side. In the hollow below the water line.))
((It's not there.))
((Where is it? Maybe the Witchblade can locate it. Concentrate. A feeling, a tug. Down this lane, up to this cottage. Yes, it is here.))
The woman in gym shorts pounded on the door. "I want my ring!"
The woman that came to the door was not alarmed at this apparition. She went inside and returned with a box of rings.
((It wasn't there.))
"Give me the ring!"
The woman brought her a pretty ring with small red stones. It smelled of some fairy power. But it was not the ring.
"For the last time, by Llan An Cailleach, give me my ring!"
The woman said "Ay, you are her." She went into the house for a third time and returned with a simple band of copper.
((This is it.))
The young woman in shorts returned to the inn.
In the morning Sara woke up to find her feet sore and dirty. And a ring on her hand. It was very simple and copper colored. She turned it around in her hands and looked inside to see if there was a mark there. When she looked through the ring she saw John.
Sara gasped and dropped the ring, then picked it up and peeked through it again. Again she saw John. He was smiling back at her.
___
After cleaning up and dressing Sara went to the dining room for breakfast. There were a few people there, couples and one group. Only one woman sat alone and she came over to Sara's table.
"May I join you?" The woman looked about 30 and was dressed in a suit. She looked like she worked in an office.
Sara was curious and willing to be friendly. "Yes, please. I'm Sara Pezzini."
"Cashel Kirby . I'm the one that gave you the ring. Do you remember?"
"No. I woke up with it on. I must have been sleepwalking."
"Oh, she wasn't asleep. She's very much with you."
"So do you know why she wanted this ring?"
"No. My great-grandmother found it. I don't know where. We were told you would come for it."
"How did you know I was the one to give it to?"
"You demanded it. There wasn't any doubt. Are you unsure?"
"No, it's mine." No way was Sara going to give up anything that showed her John. "Who's this 'she'?"
"Cathain."
"Enough." Cathain spoke.
Cathain stood in front of Sara, a much older Cathain. Her hair was grey and tied in a simple knot. She wore well worn breeches and a shirt. She looked as if she had been cleaning stables or turning compost.
"No more of this . There is naught here but unhappiness. You . . . I . . . Don't have to relive this again over and over into eternity." Cathain sat an a rock that conveniently appeared from the greyness.
"Isn't that what I'm here for?"Sara asked. "To learn some secret?"
"It is not a secret. Would that it were, my pride would have suffered less. You can look it up in any Irish ancient history text. Conchobar and I were lovers. He was an ass. I left him. That's all anyone needs to know."
"I will tell you enough that you will understand what has happened . But I won't detail all the slights, the humiliation. Conchobar has paid for it. It doesn't need to be repeated anymore. This is the story."
"Conchobar and I met when we of a romantic age. There was an attraction between us that seemed more real than life itself. I, who hadn't had any use for being female, became a woman. He was the first and only man that lit that fire in me."
"At the beginning we were young and free of responsibilities so life was good. But as we matured, and took on the roles life had laid out for us - me a lord's daughter and him heir to the throne, things changed. We grew into the people we were going to be. I was skilled in battle arts. He was skilled in leadership. I swore to back him in his fight. We fought long and hard and then came the time to enjoy what we had won."
Sara said, "Yeah, so that's I was just watching. You found out he was going to marry someone else and you wouldn't stick around to play second fiddle. I can understand that".
"Yes, that is basically the story - insulted, diminished. But there's more that you have not seen. And I will not tell you. It shames me that what he did, I submitted to. I did not deserve the abuse, but worse is knowing I am capable of it myself."
"If it's so awful why bring it up?"
"I'm telling you so you will know this: he has paid for it - every lifetime from then till now, he has suffered."
"How?"
"Iona, my sister and I conjured a geas - We were angry enough to pay the price to punish Conchobar. In every one of his lives he remembers - everything. He endures our pain over and again."
Sara finally noticed that Cathain not only was without armor, she did not wear the Witchblade.
"What did you do with the Witchblade? When did you get rid of it.?"
"The Witchblade did not rest easy when I withdrew. So I returned it to the Sidhe. I threw it in a sacred well. I hadn't known how desperate Conchobar would be to get me and it back. I didn't foresee he would sacrifice my dear sister. But by then I no longer had the blade and her death was for nothing."
Cathain looked aside and rubbed her temples.
"The trouble with eternity is that it does get repetitious. By forcing Conchobar to suffer I have been more cruel then he ever was. His sins only lasted one lifetime. . . With each new lifetime he has grown to be a better person. Just as you are me, yet better. Now I will end it. He won't suffer in his next lifetime. You. . . I . . . don't need to suffer this again. Let it be done. Here. Now."
Cathain stood "The geas ends here. The remembering ends here. I forgive Conchobar. May his future lives be free of this burden."
"How will we find each other?" Sara asked.
"You will."
**********************
"What's that noise?" Sara returned to consciousness at the sound of her watch alarm. It took a couple of seconds for her to remember where she was. Taking a nap from driving west of Ulster towards the setting sun.
The nap had just made things worse. She was having serious trouble deciding what to do and she knew that she couldn't drive like that - well, she could if she had to but what the heck! "It's a vacation. I don't know where I'm going anyway so what's the rush?" On the map she located a small town coming up - might as well look for a room and dinner.
At the next town there was a pub clearly marked as offering rooms. With all the Americans looking for their roots, Sara fit right in. Sara registered and took her travel bag to the room. A bathroom break and washing her face helped her to wake up enough to get something to eat so she went back into the tavern for a meal.
There were a few townspeople there and more drifted in as she ate. Everyone seemed friendly but left her to herself. Sara thought about mingling but the fatigue just wouldn't let up. So she returned to the room to make an early night. Soon she was in bed and dropping off.
In the very early morning hours a woman in gym shorts and t-shirt walked out of the inn. Barefoot. Her long hair fanned out in the predawn breeze.
((Now is the time to recover it. Out where she left it, stored it, hid it. The moon is bright. The pebbles sting feet. Not far. The little path behind the inn to the brook. Down the brook about 40 paces. One, two, the third chair sized rock. The east side. In the hollow below the water line.))
((It's not there.))
((Where is it? Maybe the Witchblade can locate it. Concentrate. A feeling, a tug. Down this lane, up to this cottage. Yes, it is here.))
The woman in gym shorts pounded on the door. "I want my ring!"
The woman that came to the door was not alarmed at this apparition. She went inside and returned with a box of rings.
((It wasn't there.))
"Give me the ring!"
The woman brought her a pretty ring with small red stones. It smelled of some fairy power. But it was not the ring.
"For the last time, by Llan An Cailleach, give me my ring!"
The woman said "Ay, you are her." She went into the house for a third time and returned with a simple band of copper.
((This is it.))
The young woman in shorts returned to the inn.
In the morning Sara woke up to find her feet sore and dirty. And a ring on her hand. It was very simple and copper colored. She turned it around in her hands and looked inside to see if there was a mark there. When she looked through the ring she saw John.
Sara gasped and dropped the ring, then picked it up and peeked through it again. Again she saw John. He was smiling back at her.
___
After cleaning up and dressing Sara went to the dining room for breakfast. There were a few people there, couples and one group. Only one woman sat alone and she came over to Sara's table.
"May I join you?" The woman looked about 30 and was dressed in a suit. She looked like she worked in an office.
Sara was curious and willing to be friendly. "Yes, please. I'm Sara Pezzini."
"Cashel Kirby . I'm the one that gave you the ring. Do you remember?"
"No. I woke up with it on. I must have been sleepwalking."
"Oh, she wasn't asleep. She's very much with you."
"So do you know why she wanted this ring?"
"No. My great-grandmother found it. I don't know where. We were told you would come for it."
"How did you know I was the one to give it to?"
"You demanded it. There wasn't any doubt. Are you unsure?"
"No, it's mine." No way was Sara going to give up anything that showed her John. "Who's this 'she'?"
"Cathain."