The War of the Dead

by The Silmaril Chick

When Fëanor son of Finwë does the impossible and escapes the eternal halls of Mandos, he throws the neatly ordered song of Arda into chaos. The fate of all people, both mortal and otherwise, will be forever changed and not even Námo Doomsayer can tell where this terrible path will lead us.

24. Chapter 24 : The Aon-adharcach

Middle-Earth, Dunland, Caves of the Leomhann: T.A. 3010

The bright light of the gem had changed from orange to purple while the children had slept, signalling that it was not yet time to get up.

Of course, the two children had been awake for hours, but you weren't allowed to get up while the purple gem was in the sky…for that was the time of the dead. The time where dead men and women walked the earth unheeded by the natural laws. That was why children had to remain tucked within the safety of their parents' hearths.

That being said, it was very hard to keep your very much awake child next to you while you yourself were sound asleep; so, it wasn't like it was terribly difficult for Gallia and Calgacus to slip away.

The Purple light hours should have been a time for rest, a time for the warmth and safety of the family hearth, but try telling that to a curious child who has never seen past the tent flap of their mother's cave, while the purple light shone. They scuttled past the gentle flapping covers of their mother's cave, and down onto the ledge below. And from there they sat, letting their legs dangle over the side as they looked up, into the dark blue-purple light of the gem above.

'You know I've seen dead men walk in Orange light,' said the girl.

'Aye, who hasn't.' He snarled back.

The Girl scoffed.

'I'm just saying, if the Dead can walk in the Orange light why can't we walk in the purple. There canna be that many of them left, I mean I'm nae dead…your nae dead…all our families are nae dead…how many of them can really be left?'

'Well,' the boy said chewing on his lip. 'I suppose…I suppose we could go a little lower…I mean…the dead cana climb rock, can they?'

'Of course, they can't, otherwise Dunlich would be long buried, and it's still standing high and proud.' Reasoned the girl.

It should be noted that a sensible child would have turned back then, gone back to the safe warmth of his own hearth and left their foolish friend to their own fate. But then sensible children do not exist, they are a myth made by parents who wish it were otherwise.

***

Calgacus was used to rules, rules and restrictions were a daily part of…well everyone under the gem's light's life, but especially him, after all he was the son of the Leomhann. His father had been a great man, or so all the grownups told him, but Calgacus had never met him, not even as a babe swaddled in his Mither's arms. He'd died, died like so many of the Men in these lands died, by the hands of the Dead. By the hands of men who had followed him in life and had devoured him in death, what was so special about that? What was so special about any of it?

Mither was special, she could do things that others never could. She could set a tree a blaze just by glaring at it or save a man from drowning just by snapping her fingers. She could do anything if she had had the mind to. Calgacus could understand why she was beloved to their people, but the Leomhann…the Leomhann was a ghost, and you weren't supposed to think on ghosts.

Calgacus couldn't do any of those wonderful things, he wasn't special like his Mither or his Father, he was just Calgacus, he didn't even have an Earned-Name yet. Many thought he was too old, at ten name days, to still just have the one name, but Mither had insisted that he earned it himself and not wait for someone to give it to him.

Maybe that was why he followed Gallia Tarbh down the side of the camp that day. Maybe that was why he didn't let the light stop him, stop either of them. He should have stopped her, he should have known better…but he didn't, and now he'd just have to live with that.

The Leomhann campsite tended to move around quite frequently, it could never be in the same place for more than two days. It was simply too dangerous his Mither had explained, there were still, even after all this time, too many of the dead stumbling around for them to grow comfy with their sleeping habits. Today the camp was situated North East of the burning caves, just enough downwind so that they wouldn't be gassed by the noxious fumes that came out that way; but not so much so as they couldn't feel the tread of the dead when they approached.

It took more than a small knowledge of scaling rock faces to sneak down below the camp undetected, but both children were old hands at avoiding the wrath of their elders. Of course, they could have gone the far simpler route of straight down the path that led to the edge of the mountain, or along the ridge of the caves, but that way brought too many opportunities for them to be spotted.

Calgacus landed unceremoniously on the flat stone below the camp. His leg smacked hard against the ground and he had to roll fast before he was squished by the oncoming form of Gallia. She giggled, having a somewhat more graceful landing, and he tried to ignore the pang of jealousy that struck him as he heaved himself up from where he'd fallen.

Stupid, stupid, why couldn't he do anything right?

'Stop sulking Calgacus!' Yelled Gallia, clearly having no concept of the difference between an indoor and outdoor voice. 'It's nae like ye broke your leg or something, it's just a wee scrape, it'll heal.' Calgacus blinked back at her, not sure what she was talking about, and then he looked down…at his leg. A quite sizable gash had ripped just below his knee, blood trailed down, fresh blood, alive blood, Man blood.

No, no, this was why they were told to be careful around the rocks, this was why they were told not to wander off. The scent of blood in the air attracted predators, and there was only one type of predator who favoured the taste of Man flesh above all other. Gallia laughed again, the blood from the cut on her cheek trailing down and past her chin until it dripped onto the stone below.

Calgacus grabbed Gallia's elbow and began to pull her along after him.

'Fit ye deing?'

'We canna stay here Gallia; we'll lead them straight to the rest of the Tribe.'

Gallia tried to wriggle out of the older boy's grip, but he was too strong for her.

'Have ye gone mad Calgacus? There's been nae Dead spotted anywhere near here for at least six days now.'

'They'll come for the blood Gallia, they always come for the blood.'

Gallia Tarbh touched her chin with her grime-soaked fingers and swore loudly when they came away with her own blood.

'Fuck!'

They didn't wait for the sound of the footsteps to come lumbering up from somewhere behind them, they took off at a pace only someone in a true blind panic could ever hope to reach. At the speed they were going the smooth stone beneath their feet quickly gave way to the jagged rocks that made up much of the Leomhann Tribe's hunting grounds. As Calgacus felt the blood streaking down his leg, he could hardly bare to picture the trail it was leaving for the creatures. Yet he couldn't bring himself to entirely regret it either. Every time he scrambled over another sharp faced rock, every jagged ridge he and Gallia bounded over, was another trail for the Dead to follow away from the rest of the Tribe.

Gallia was faster than him, she didn't have an injured leg to work around but then again, she always was faster than him. Gallia ground to a jerking halt a few steps in front of Calgacus, and he, slow and stupid, from the loss of blood, slammed into her and nearly toppled them both over and into the chasm before them. For that's why Gallia had stopped, the large great gash running down the cleft of the cliff and beyond into the land below. There was no way to move around it, not unless they turned back now and led the trail right back to the Tribe. And it was far too wide a gap to leap across, it would have been a struggle even for the greatest of their warriors, let alone for two frightened injured children. Yet as Calgacus listened, and heard the tell-tale thump, thump, thump, of the marching of the Dead, he knew then that there was only one option. Only one way out, for either of them now.

'We have to jump!'

'Yer gone daft, Calgacus?' Yelled Gallia.

'Yer got a better idea up yer nose Gallia?'

'Aye, I'd rather not die today if it so pleases you.'

The crack of the rock behind them jerked both children's heads backwards, the Dead were coming, and quicker now than the children had imagined. The girl turned back to the boy, her mouth set in a firm, determined line. Grasping hands, the boy and the girl leaped over the edge of the gash and plunged down into the water below.

Calgacus wasn't entirely sure what hurt more, the shock of the impact into that deep pool of icy water, or the fact that that same icy pool seemed to have a lot more rocks and sharp hard places than had been originally assumed. Blood gushed from his leg, and the boy flapped his hands and screamed in a mad panic as from below, something had a hold of him, something cold and metallic feeling. Something that did not feel like it was a rock. Suddenly someone had hold of his upper arm and was dragging him towards the surface, and Calgacus was so blind with fear and the cold of the water that he sank his teeth hard into the hand, even as his head breached the surface.

Gallia screamed and yanking her blood smeared hand away from the sharp snap of his jaws, reared back and slapped the boy so hard that it sent him careening to the other side of the – admittedly rather narrow – cave.

'Ow! What was that for?' said Calgacus still half dazed from the fall, and not entirely aware of his surroundings yet.

'Seriously, you take a great big clomp outta my hand and ye have to ask why I'd possibly skelp you round the ear for it?' Said the girl, still clutching at her bloodied hand.

'Oh right,' said the boy, the ringing in his ears finally quieting to a low rhythmic thump.

They floated there in silence, both glaring at each other as if they were the injured party; they stayed like this for serval long seconds, and probably would have done so for much longer if it wasn't for the sound of slow, staggering feet from up above them. Both children sunk down into the water, until only their noses and the tops of their heads remained above it. A curse from the creatures up above, and a shout in the tongue of the Dead and then they were gone. Lumbering off in some other direction, since not even the dead could make the jump over the gash. Their past animosity seemingly forgotten both children clasped hands as they raised their heads and gasped the stale, chilled air of the Gash. They clung to each other as they giggled as quietly as any child was capable of. Safe, for this moment at least, they could finally breath again.

'I suppose we should…' said Gallia, the joy of their escape wearing slightly thin now that the cold of the water was setting in.

'What?' Calgacus began, confused.

'You know, climb out.'

'Oh, well, aye didn't think of that. I suppose…there must be a way out mustn't there?'

'Aye,' said Gallia doubting sincerely the validity of this statement. 'Suppose there must be.'

It took the better part of the next half an hour, and a good deal of scrapes, cuts and kicks to the shin, for both children to eventually decide, that no, there really wasn't a way out. And they would be stuck down here for the rest of their lives. Which considering the current temperature of the water – or to be completely precise lack of it – would not be very long at all.

It was probably all for the better then, that it was at that exact moment that the light, the bright shimmering light somewhere beneath the surface of the water, began to rise from between them.

Both children were transfixed by the strength of the orb's glow, enraptured by that bizarre round sphere which floated up from the depths of the Sea pool. Maybe it was a pearl from the sea, maybe it was a special jewel of the Merfolk, they had never seen such a thing before, so anything was up for debate. Breaching the water's surface with little fuss, and barely a splash thrown in either direction, the strange golden orb bobbed there between them for what seemed like forever and a day.

It was Gallia who broke free of her stupor first, or perhaps it wasn't, for the first thing she did once she'd unfrozen, was reach out to touch it. This, alone, seemed to snap Calgacus back to norm and he cried out.

'Gallia, no!' But it was too late, much too late for that, for Gallia's hand was already splayed across the shiny golden sphere.

'Aye, it's a bonny thing, ain't it Calgacus.'

The boy could not speak, for as the girl pulled the jewel free of the water it began to crackle and spark between her fingers. But Gallia would not let go of it, even when it began to shudder and jerk within her grip, almost as if it was trying to break it. Almost as it were trying to fling itself back into the water again, yet whether this was its intention or not no longer seemed to matter to the girl. For she wrapped her arms around the gem and climbing up to one of the small jagged ledges closest to her, she pressed the pretty thing into her belly and hunched over it, as if trying to hide it from even Calgacus' sight.

'Gallia, Gallia, fit ye deing?'

The voice that answered the boy was not Gallia's. Not Gallia's at all.

So cold. So very cold here.

'Gallia?'

The Girl shook her head and curled tighter in on herself. Slowly, in a placating gesture, Calgacus raised his hands and approached her huddled form.

I wasn't cold where he threw me, I was warm, the fishes kept me warm. Why am I cold, again?

Calgacus splashed rapidly and franticly in the water in front of the girl, as his foot failed to find a second rock to balance upon. The girl's head jerked up then, and Calgacus screamed, the salt water of the pool filling his mouth and nose, half-suffocating him. His shock was too great to care much of that though, for the girl that looked back up at him was not Gallia Tarbh, she was not Gallia Tarbh at all.

Her eyes shone with the glow of the gem, no pupils, or colour, just the white gold of the gem. Her whole face, seemed to sparkle under it and she smiled at him then. Her head cocked to the side as if she didn't quite understand what she was seeing, as if she had never seen a child of Man. All this flashed through the boy's mind in a wave of blurred together nonsense which only made him thrash harder in the water. The girl reached towards him, the light that came from her hand circled his middle and scooped him up from where he thrashed and shivered.

Calgacus

Said the girl that was no longer Gallia.

Calgacus

She said it again in great glee.

Calgacus!

And Calgacus screamed, not from the fear at being held up several feet in the air by a mystical gem infecting the body of his friend, though that too weighed down his mind like a sack full of rocks. No, he screamed for the searing pain of the golden vice that wormed its way around his belly. The skin beneath it bubbled and twisted until it barely resembled the skin of a Human Being at all. The boy sobbed in abject terror, and through it all the girl smiled up at him.

Calgacus.

In the years that would follow, it would become terribly difficult for Calgacus to put into words what he saw next. Even then, right as it happened, it was difficult to find the words to describe it. For words in the tongues of Men, could not possibly measure up to the pure…light, the pure golden, searing, wrenching light that glittered before him. His whole word was consumed by it, and he felt like yelling, or screaming, or thrashing, but you see Calgacus did none of these things, not once the light had moved into his vision.

The world was gold, the world was beautiful, and above all else the world was unrecognizable. This was not the eyes of child of Man that the boy saw through now, this was something infinitely older, and infinitely far more foolish. Everything was new, everything was bright, and everything was worth exploring. The gem smiled up at him, using Gallia's mouth and under the tight grip of its power Calgacus could do nothing more but smile back.

Calgacus is friend

The Boy nodded his head, though entirely unwilling to do so.

Calgacus will help me understand.

Once again Calgacus nodded. The glowing orb still clutched to Gallia's belly glowed almost contently and Calgacus found himself lowered once again down into the water. It was better this time, he wasn't drowning or thrashing and the power, the power that had so blinded him, well, that power was gone from him. But not vanished, for it still pulsed around every fibre of Gallia Tarbh, and Calgacus' relief turned to solemn sobriety. This was not over; this would never be over.

Calgacus must explain…

The gem paused, as if unsure how to continue.

Explain where we…where I am.

Calgacus, for more than several seconds, just floated there in the water, blinking up at the strange being of pure golden light that had consumed his one and only friend. Then he spoke, in a voice that shook and wavered more with every word that escaped past his teeth.

'In the land of the Leomhann, down a gash between the rocks that make up most of our hunting grounds.'

The Leomhann? Is it a name of the place, the people, or the King?

'The Men of the Many Clans recognise no king, save perhaps he who was called Leomhann, but he's dead. So, we have no kings. But the Leomhann was my father, and this was his tribe, and this is their land. So, I suppose, yes, to all three.'

Then he had a thought and speaking fast before the jewel could ask another question, he spoke. Yet this time his voice was as clear as it would ever be again.

'What are you? Who are you? And why are you in my friend?

We are not in the girl; we are merely using her as a form of communication.

'Why? Why canna ye speak for yourselves?'

We have no voice of our own, not while we are sealed away behind the Elven Glass of our maker.

'Who's your maker? Fit are ye and why are ye here?'

Our Maker is one who should be long gone from this world but isn't, and where ever we are he shall be drawn to. So, we must not stay here long, for he shall catch us and place us on his brow. As for what we are well…the history of Men and Elves should tell it well. For we were the destruction of so many people, so many lives who could have gone on to do so many things, so many wonders which the world never saw because of us.

'That really actually doesn't answer the question.'

I didn't think it would, but it is a question that is better off staying unanswered. As to why we are here…well…look around you.

Calgacus did but could see nothing save the slimy old walls of the sea-pool around them. The gem did not seem to notice though.

This world has been changed, they flung him here, unprotected by his glass, and he has changed it. Changed it into something the makers and their lords never planned it to be. That is why we have come, that is why I am here small Man. To fix it, to change it back, to bring him home.

'Who?'

My brother

One question answered led to a million more, all of them too long to voice, or at least so claimed the frost addled mind of Calgacus. For the water, already too cold for comfort, had finally begun to freeze him and although the jewel continued to speak – crouched safely as she was on her small elevated rock – the chattering of Calgacus' teeth was too loud to hear any of it. The Jewel of course, neither seemed to notice nor care when she posed her next question.

So, as you can see, I have much work ahead of me, so pray tell me, how may we get out of this…what did you call it again…gash?

'There's no way…'

A rumble from the distance snapped the boy's head around, and he stilled in the water.

What was that?

Oh, Gods no, no, no.

'Get in the water!'

What?!

'Get in the water or they'll make you fall,' a large splash and Gallia and the Jewel were beside him, no, more than that, they had latched onto him. Wringing their strong but tiny hands around his wrists and dragging him under the surface. The boy tried to scream, tried to kick them away, but it was no good, they were too strong, and the water was too cold. Icy splashes filled his mouth, and his lungs, which only made the boy kick harder even though his strength waned the deeper they went. And deep they did go, for the small light that remained from the world above grew smaller and smaller, until it was nothing but a pinprick of light, smaller than the size of his thumb.

Just a wee bit more down Calgacus and we'll be free!

Yes, there were some who claimed that death was the ultimate freedom, never within hearing distance of his Mither of course, but he heard that before. Though to be frank he had never thought he would hear it from an embodiment of an Ancient glowing orb, but then again who really did until you actually met one.

Darkness, that was all he saw now, that was all his world was now. Darkness and cold, so cold, so very cold.

There was a heavy thump on his chest and a half a pool full of ice-cold water hacked up his throat. The air was so cold around them, wait a minute, the air? The air was cold? There was no water, they…they were somewhere new. No water, at least not all around them anymore, and, and, this was a tunnel.

Gallia – lifting her hands off his still rattling chest – held the jewel up high above the two, the orb smiling through her mouth, and lit the way ahead of them. A long tunnel, with a stream for a path stretched a head long into the darkness beyond and Calgacus knew where they were now. Gods, no, no, no, why now, why here, why not any place but here.

The rumble was no longer in the distance anymore, and it was only getting louder.

The walls of the tunnel around them seemed to shake, dust and lime-stone sprinkling in their wake. They were being shaken, shaken by the thunderous roar of hooves further down the tunnel. Though from what way those hooves came from was still a mystery, one thing was certain, they were coming closer.

Grabbing the girl and the Jewel by the elbow Calgacus attempted to take off running again, but it was for nought, for neither the girl nor her Jewel moved an inch.
What are you trying to do?

'We've got to run! Can't you hear them, they're getting closer! If we don't move, they'll catch us for sure!'
Who?

Calgacus thought about telling her, but it was too late for that, far too late, for they were here.

The clip-clop of a single scout froze the boy in place, his mind rendered blank with pure undiluted panic. The girl was not truly there any longer, nor was it ever likely she would be again, so it was her that looked around and spied the beast that trotted towards them as if all was right and good in the world.

The gem had seen many horses in its long life, too many to count really, and at first glance that was what it assumed the beautiful white beast to be. A strange, ethereal almost Elven horse, but a horse none the less. Yet as the creature drew closer to the Gem and the frozen boy beside it, it appeared to be something quite different. For, while the general shape of the beast was that of a glorious white horse, its legs were far too thin and delicate seeming for such a mount. The beast's tail was too long, thin and elongated with golden locks that matched its glorious mane, which were only situated at the very tip of it, like a hound of some kind. As it walked, its hooves covered by rich golden curls glinted in the light that the gem only now realised was not coming from itself. No, that light was too silvery, too much moonlight to be the Jewel of the Fire Spirit. This light was new, this light was coming from the beast itself, from the horn rising from the centre of the creature's forehead.

The creature swayed its head back and forth as if shaking it for some reason, and raising its neck it let out a scream that could never have come from a simple horse. It was too late when the Jewel realised what that noise meant, or rather what it was summing. A clash of thunder and the tunnel seemed to be filled with hundreds, nay thousands, of these strange magnificent creatures. Yet the gem did not jump for joy, for joy was not what it felt at this, terror such as which it had never truly understood before gripped what might have been its heart then and it tried to run. But from the other side of the tunnel the creatures had come as well, their hooves stamping, and horns lowered in a menacing manner, and the way was blocked.

The Jewel whimpered as much as any Jewel could whimper, and the largest of the beasts: his mane a shimmering copper colour and his eyes a bottomless black, approached.

Leave

It must have spoken from its muzzle, but the Gem could not see how.

Leave

The Gem wanted to say no, wanted to fight back, for the water was still all around them, and its power was still complete, yet it couldn't. Frozen, terror too great to even try to move.

Do not make me repeat myself creature of the Elven Hand, Leave Now and never return to this Land.

No

The Creature approached; its massive, jagged horn lowered with intent to stab.

Leave, I have no pity for your kind and we shall crack the bone you have stolen under our feet, if you do not leave now.

'No, Wait! Don't hurt her!' screamed the boy, as he threw himself in front of the Jewel.

The Beast looked down upon the child and – the Jewel could have sworn – sighed in resignation.

Get out of the way, Child of Man

Calgacus did not move, though his body still shook from the pure fear any of the Aon-adharcach could inspire in the Men of the Clans. Yet he would not move, for as long as she still stood, Gallia could be saved.

'No, she's my friend and I'll nay have ye kill her like…like…like she's just some vermin atop the Hillock.'

I am losing my patience

'I wasn't aware ye had any to begin with, Aon-adharcach.'

The creature stamped its hoof so hard on the ground before the two children, that the rock beneath cracked and splintered with the force of the blow.

Silence.

'No ye shut up! I'll not let no man, beast or Dead touch Gallia Tarbh well I yet live.'

Gallia's small hand wrapped around Calgacus' arm and squeezed it lightly in appreciation. Calgacus risked looking away from the mighty Aon-adharcach in front of them to smile back at her. It probably wouldn't help, Aon-adharcach were known to trample any fool stupid enough to cross their path. Two small bairns, and one very bonny glowing orb, wouldn't hold much challenge for such a Beast.

Don't you see, can't you perceive?

The big brute said, his voice deep and foreboding and he rose up on his back haunches, the way any horse might if its bearer made it.

The Girl is already dead, she's been dead since first she laid a hand upon that thing.

The cave shook with the force of the Creature's descending forelegs and Gallia screamed, no, not Gallia, the Jewel screamed. A noise such as no mortal ear should ever hear excreted from the girl and Calgacus crumpled to the ground, his arms thrown over his own ears. The noise never stopped, it only grew louder as into the air Gallia Tarbh rose, a glowing golden light surrounding her such as had never been seen in this land. Never by mortal eyes at least. For the Aon-adharcach knew it well and knew what creature this foul thing – in their own words – had been derived from; they knew the danger such wretched creatures of the West posed, and they would not suffer such a thing to stay long in the land of their herd.

Gallia crumpled to the ground, the only light in the tunnel now came from the tip of the Beast's horn. Calgacus, blood staining and marking his young face cried out in alarm as he fell to the limp form of the girl. The Jewel, laying forgotten in the stream beside the two children, glowed softly in the twilight light of the creature's horn.

Leave

The Jewel let the river take it, and the Aon-adharcach stepped neatly to the side as the wretched thing floated past, and out into the trapping walls of the Sea-Pool. It was too dangerous to destroy the thing's form as the Chief of the Aon-adharcach had so deeply wished to, not with the child so near. His kind could survive the blast, but the boy was mortal, and he would die, and so much that would-be or might-be would never come to pass.

Calgacus did not remember the next part of the story, though that was what he would be lorded for. All he knew was that he'd been leaning over the lifeless corpse of Gallia Tarbh, his only real friend, and then everything started to get, confusing. He remembered his head had started to feel fuzzy, and he thought he might have even thrown up a little, it…it was hard to put the series of events in order. He could say for an almost fact that one of the Aon-adharcach had picked him up by the scruff of his furs and had deposited him on its back. Though whether it was their Chief himself as the stories would later crow, Calgacus could never really be certain. He remembered the rhythmic thump as the herd thundered up the tunnel towards that light, that glorious light of day. He remembered their soft voices raised in argument over his lulling head.

What now Chief?

A female voice whispered.

Let it find its way back to the pool

The deep voice from before replied soothingly.

He will come looking for it, we should not let it remain so close to the Men

A snort of derision from the chief.

He would come for it even were we to send it back into the deep and watery grave of the Sea Master's embrace.

Don't be clever you know what I meant, the dead already walk this land my Chief, the Men cannot take anymore.

The Wizard will come, he will come here no matter where we throw his toy. He will come and there's no stopping him, my daughter.

Then there is no hope

Only a Fool's hope, child

The voices faded then, and his sight grew dark, he didn't know whether he'd fallen asleep or merely passed out at last, but whatever the case he knew no more until he awoke, held tight within his mother's arms.

She was crying, rocking him against her chest like he was still a baby…why was she doing that? She never cried, she saw it as a sign of weakness for her people to see her so distraught, so she never cried. But she was crying now, and she didn't seem to care about the warriors of their tribe leaning over her shoulder and staring at Calgacus in wrapped awe.

One man with a long beard, and the markings of a Gull on his upper left bicep, looked right into Calgacus' face and spoke the words the boy hadn't known he'd been dreading, until he actually heard them.

'Where's Gallia?'

Gallia Tarbh's father was a strong man, yet when all Calgacus could do was shake his head in reply to the man's question; that great man, that mighty man, broke down. Falling to his knees and howling to the sky above.
In the end the only part of the story that Calgacus could say for sure was true, was that at the end of it, Gallia was dead and he was not.

Author's note

Aon-adharcach - Unicorn

Tarbh - Bull