To help pass the time and keep my worries at bay, I took out a few of the pages of the book and looked at them for a while. The series of intricate knots and swirls that Aidan and the masters before him had made sent me back to sleep again. But the nightmares returned.
The fangs of Crom were gaining; his tendrils of darkness were reaching out for me. I ran as fast as my legs could possibly carry me. But as I felt the icy breath of the serpent get closer it vanished. I turned to find nothing my black mist. I stopped to catch my breath, when suddenly I spotted a familiar figure lying on the ash covered ground.
"Uncle!" I screamed and rushed towards him... But my screams were not hared. I tried to touch him, but my hand went right through him.
"...Brendan… Why did you leave me… Here to die?" my uncle whispered, as tears ran down his pale face.
"No! Uncle! I'm right here!" I shouted. Once again going unheard.
Slowly I noticed his skin decaying before me, his bloodshot eyes sunk into his skull and vanished along with the rest of his flesh.
"NO! No no no! Uncle! Stay with me, please!" I cried out in vain.
Dark silhouettes of Vikings circled me, armed with sharpened broad swords and inched their way closer.
"Stay back! Please! NO!" I screamed, as tears streamed down my face.
The figures didn't listen and raised their swords above me, ready to plunge them into me. I covered my head and shut my eyes, waiting for the worst to come.
When all of the sudden, a great burst of light came and surrounded the atmosphere, a loud howl from a wolf drowned out the sounds around me. The Viking shadows, Crom, and even my dying uncle had vanished into the light...
I was left alone.
Until a voice whispered through the light.
"Brendan..."
It was Aisling's voice!
"Aisling! Where are you!?" I shouted.
"...Brendan... Don't let the darkness devour you Brendan..." Aisling's voice echoed.
A white wolf with bright green eyes stood before me. "You must finish the book, Brendan. So that the darkest places on the earth will turn into light," Aisling whispered, as she slowly transformed into her human form.
She slowly walked forward and gently kissed me. "I believe in you," She faded into the light and left strange patterns and symbols behind. I now know what the Chi-Rho page will look like... It's true meaning…
"Thank you… Aisling" _
The mists of the plague lands and the stench of the deadly smoke was strong. The cold winds felt like lost souls trapped inside the darkness... Mourning in sorrow and grief, sending aching chills to anyone or anything that stood in their way.
'Ugghhh... Where am I?...' I thought; as he cracked open his eyes.
A blurry figure dressed in black sat by my side. But before I could sit up and see who the figure was, the stranger darted away.
"Uh! Wait, I won't hurt you- Aghh!" I hollered, before a sharp pain cut me off in my side.
I glanced down to find a bloody gash through my white robe. I looked around and realized I had been dragged into an old hut. Half of the roof was burned off, probably by Vikings, and tattered fabric was blowing ghost-like in the wind just above the entrance.
My head still throbbed from the fall, I felt around to see how much damage was done to me. But to my surprise, there wasn't a lot. The injury on my forehead had healed into a fresh scar. Only a few drops of blood were left...And an odd clear liquid.
'Don't touch it!... Let it heal!...' a voice whispered in my head.
I froze and gazed over the opening in the damaged hut. A pair of blue and violet colored eyes was staring back at me.
It was a young woman from the looks of it. She had short raven black hair with unusual hints of dark blue hidden in it. She lurked behind the stone walls, unsure if she could trust me.
"Who are you?... Were you the one that pulled me from the river?" I asked.
The woman stayed silent.
"Will you not answer?" I asked again.
The girl looked deeply into my eyes. Suddenly I could hear her inside my head.
'My name is Fantasus; I'm a guardian of this land that was once pure. Why have you come here?' she said to me.
I almost couldn't believe I heard her at first. This was no villager she was a forest spirit!
"My… my name is Aidan, I came here only to find medicine for my apprentice, I'm not here to defile your lands," I explained, doing my best to sound as non-threatening as possible.
'Is that why you were looking foolishly up in that tree?' Fantasus asked, revealing more of her beautiful face as she relaxed herself on the wall.
"There weren't any plants I could use to stop the illness, so I thought the lichen would help... Does that answer your question?" I said, suddenly realizing the lichen was now at the bottom the river.
She stayed silent and kept staring me down.
"Why don't you come down here? I won't hurt you," I asked.
I watched as Fantasus slowly slithered over the wall like a cat. On closer inspection, she wore a black tattered gown with a blue shoal around her shoulders.
'If you'll let me, I'll heal your wound,' She offered.
I gave her a nod to inspect it.
Fantasus pulled out a pure white flower from her gown. It was unlike any I had seen before. She plucked off the bud in the center and dipped her fingers into the nectar.
'Move your robes...' She asked.
I hesitantly pulled up the top of my robe and let her rub the nectar on the splintered gash.
'My people grew these blossoms when bad things happened... to heal the sick and wounded. Yours will be gone in no time,' Fantasus said.
"Where did they go?-Ow!... What Happened to this place?" I questioned, gritting my teeth, as she gently pulled out the splinters from the wound.
"…My Brother cursed this place with fire and poison. He believed mortals were weak and didn't deserve to dwell along side forest sprits. One day he betrayed us and destroyed our forest… Most of my clan is no more,' She grimly said, as she closed up the petals of the blossom.
"I was driven out from my home twice by the Northman," I muttered in anguish.
Fantasus gazed up at me.
"Now it's just me and my apprentice, but we plan to do whatever we can to help those who are less fortunate than us and give them hope... Then maybe one day light can be restored to these lands," I continued.
'Such words you say, do you really think it is possible?' Fantasus responded with wonder.
"I'm not sure... But I guess we'll never be sure until we try," I replied.
Fantasus smiled.
"By the way, these healing blossoms of yours, would they be strong enough to break my apprentice's sickness?' I asked, glancing over at my wound; the blood had faded from my skin and was sealing itself into a fresh scar.
'They should be if you make back to the person in time,' she replied.
"Then will you help me?" I asked.
Fantasus nodded.
'Come, your wounds have healed long enough; you should be able to walk. Now follow me!' Fantasus's voice echoed in my head, as she raced outside.
I ran out of the hut but saw nothing aside from village's ruins.
"Fantasus! Where are you?" I hollered.
A raven swooped over my head and whispered. 'This way.'
I followed the raven through the wastes of the village until I was waist-high in a lake filled with the healing flowers.
"It's a miracle..." I whispered to myself, just before Fantasus flew back with a blossom in her beak and perched herself on my shoulder.
'Now we must go back to your friend before his fever worsens. Quick!' She said, and took off into the misty woods. _
The sky quaked with thunder as streaks of lightening tore through the wind. Rain finally came pouring down of the forest below. Fantasus landed on a tree and wished me good luck as I rushed into the cave, carrying the blossom in my clutches.
Pangur was sitting by Brendan's side with a worried look in her eyes. I knelt down and held him close as I plucked off the bud and trickled the nectar down Brendan's throat.
Now all I could do was wait…
I lay beside him that evening. Hoping and praying that he'd be alright.
'Have I failed?….' I began to wonder.
My thoughts soon turned into dreams as I too drifted off to sleep.
I wondered though the blackness of my unconsciousness, fearing I might cast myself deeper into oblivion with one false move. Whispers of familiar voices could be heard faintly. Listening closely they sounded like my brother's, my master's, and my parent's voices. They all sounded cold and spiteful as I approached them.
"Why…"
"Why did you fail us, Aidan?"
"Why did you abandon us?"
"And leave us all to die…"
"I'm sorry…" I whispered.
"You had such promise…"
"And yet you couldn't carry on our legacy."
"Such a disappointment..."
"So weak... so useless."
"And now you can't even save your apprentice, can you?"
"Stop it! You're wrong!" I cried out.
"Our blood is on your hands, Aidan. And it's all your fault!"
"STOP IT!" I shrieked, buckling under the pressure and broke down before them all.
I was trapped; they were all closing in me.
"You're fault… It's all your fault…" They chanted, all grabbing tightly onto me.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" I sobbed.
"Aidan…"
"Aidan!"
"Brother Aidan! Wake up!"
The shadows suddenly faded from my imagination and I was thrust back into reality.
"Brother Aidan?... Why are you crying?" a young familiar voice echoed in my head.
I cracked my eyes open and saw Brendan by my side, gently whipping away my tears.
" Brendan! Are you alright?!" I gasped, cupping the boy's face in my hands. The Poor lad probably didn't know what on earth to think of me at the moment.
"Whao! Aidan, calm down! I'm fine..." Brendan said in a surprised tone of voice.
"Good... I'm so glad," I sighed with relief, easing my grip from his cheeks.
"But my question is, are you alright? You've got blood on your robe. Did you get hurt? What happened?" Brendan replied worriedly with multiple questions.
"Let me explain, lad. When you passed out, you fell ill, and I went into the woods in search of medicine for you and… well… let's just say I had gotten myself into a little bit of trouble along the way. -But don't worry yourself there, lad. I too had gotten help from a friend in the forest."
"I'm sorry for making you go through all of that trouble just because of me," Brendan said apologetically.
"Oh, it wasn't your fault, lad... I'm just glad to see that you're alright," I said, wrapping my arms around him.
Brendan smiled.
Fantasus saw that her work here was done and took to the skies.
The clouds broke apart as the golden rays of sun shined through the mist. Dissolving shadows in every path, illuminating where the silent raven flew...
Turning Darkness into Light...