‘I have a whistle but it is only to be used in an emergency.’
‘This is that emergency, soldier,’ Spideog said. ‘Blow it.’
Ten minutes later we heard the thundering hooves of a company in full gallop. Essa saw me and dismounted without even slowing her horse. She hugged me while still at a run and almost knocked me over.
‘I thought you were dead.’
I allowed myself a momentary return hug before I told her my grim news.
Essa spoke before I could say anything. ‘The Brownies have taken Turlow.’
‘No, Essa, they haven’t.’
‘What do you mean they haven’t? I saw them.’ She looked around. ‘Where is Araf?’
Which question should I answer first? Neither was good news. ‘Turlow hasn’t been taken – he has escaped. The Brownies knew that I was coming and they rode here to warn him.’
Essa threw her shoulders back. ‘Warn him of what? Where is Araf? Where are Brendan and Tuan?’
‘Dead,’ I said bluntly, there was no other way. ‘Turlow betrayed us.’
‘You lie.’ Her eyes blazed.
‘No, I don’t. Turlow is working with Cialtie. Because of his treachery Araf, Brendan and Tuan are dead. I barely escaped with my life.’
‘That’s not true.’
‘It is true, Princess,’ Spideog said.
Essa turned to the archer as if she had only just noticed he was there. ‘What do you know, you crazy old hermit! You’ve spent the last hundred years dusting baticks.’ Then she turned on me. ‘You never liked him. You’re jealous, you’re making this up.’
‘I’m not, Essa. Use your Owith glass if you don’t believe me.’
She looked like I had just slapped her in the face. She pressed her hand to her chest on top of the place where her truth-seeking glass hung from a gold chain. ‘I will not go about interrogating people with the Owith glass.’
Spideog stepped up to her and took her by the shoulders; for a moment I thought she was going to squirm away and for another second I thought he was going to slap her. ‘Use the glass, Princess. We are at war – we must be certain. Use the glass on us, as you should have used it on him.’
She looked at me. For a nanosecond she was just a girl with pleading eyes wishing me to say it wasn’t so. She bowed her head and removed the finger-sized crystal from around her neck. As tears welled up in her eyes she asked, ‘Did Turlow betray… me?’
‘He did, Princess,’ Spideog replied.
‘He betrayed us all,’ I said.
The crystal remained clear. Essa turned and secretly wiped her eyes as she placed the crystal back around her neck. Then she got back on her horse, raised her chin high and shouted to her company, ‘Mount up! We must return to the Hall of Knowledge. Prince Conor and Master Spideog bring news and it means – war.’
Chapter Thirty-Eight
My return to the Hall of Knowledge was not the triumphant one I had imagined when I left. News of Araf’s death swept through the camp. The usually taciturn Imps jabbered among themselves and often broke down into mournful cries. Yogi ran up to me and asked about Tuan. When I shook my head, he threw his own back and turned into the bear. His cry transformed into a roar. It was frightening and heartbreaking. I reached to comfort him but he growled and swung at me. Even so I tried again and this time he let me hug him. He shrank in my arms and I was left with this strongest of men crying on my shoulder.
‘Where’s Mom?’ I asked Nieve, who was the only one in the headquarters tent.
‘She has returned to Castle Duir.’
‘How is my father?’
‘Oisin lives but I fear not for long.’
Nieve waited for me to say more; when I didn’t, she asked a one word question, ‘Brendan?’
Oh gods, I thought, I had forgotten that there was something going on between those two. ‘I’m sorry,’ I said.
She dropped her chin and allowed herself one deep sigh then said, ‘Dahy has called for a war council in half an hour. You should freshen up.’ Before she left she held my face in her hands and then kissed my forehead. ‘I am very glad you are safe,’ she said.
There was hot water, so I washed up a bit and found some clothes. By the time I got to the meeting everyone was there. Dahy looked up and said, ‘I’m glad you could make it, Prince Conor.’ I couldn’t figure out if he was being sarcastic or not so I just bowed and found a place to sit.
‘I believe the attack will come as soon as Cialtie’s forces arrive. This is good. It means that tomorrow’s battle will only be half of the day.’
‘Cialtie’s attacking tomorrow?’ I blurted.
‘If we are lucky tomorrow’s attack will not be until the afternoon or late morning at the worst.’
‘When did we find that out?’
‘We, meaning everyone here, found out fifteen minutes ago when they arrived at the war council – on time,’ Dahy said, laying to rest my doubt over whether his greeting had been sarcastic or not. ‘We must assume the attack is imminent. With your escape, Cialtie knows that surprise is no longer on his side. He will attack swiftly before we can call for reinforcements. Our Pooka hawk scout has just confirmed my suspicion. The Brownie and Banshee army is less than a day’s march away.’
A day, I said to myself, I was hoping to join the contingent that rode to Castle Duir for reinforcements. I was hoping to see Dad before it was too late. Now, looking around the faces in the room, I knew I couldn’t leave. Tomorrow we make a stand and the only thing that I could hope for was to survive the day.
‘As you all must have heard by now The Turlow has betrayed us,’ Dahy said without emotion. I looked to Essa. Other than her jaw clenching, she too showed nothing. ‘That means the enemy knows our strengths and our weaknesses. We can put this to good use. We have erected stone ramparts on three sides of the Hall but the western ridge above the valley, as you know, is undefended. This is where the main attack will come. Turlow will be certain that there is no way to defend the hill from a frontal assault – tonight we will prove him wrong.’
I turned to Yogi, who was next to me. ‘What is he talking about?’ I asked but the Pooka shushed me.
‘Archers, go with Master Spideog to the battlements – the rest of you grab a shovel and come with me.’
Any thought of spending my last night resting and reminiscing about the shortness of my life were dashed when I got to the hill. This was going to be a big job. Using swords, long strips of turf were carefully cut from the ground and then five shallow trenches were dug the length of the entire hill.
Five impromptu gold forges were set up on the summit. Leprechaun goldsmiths minted and hammered long strips of thick gold ribbons that were then laid into the trenches. Essa, Nieve and a handful of Imp and Leprechaun sorceresses spent most of the night kneeling and incanting their mumbo-jumbo over the gold. Then the turf was carefully replaced.
It was only a couple of hours before dawn by the time we were finished. I saw Essa almost swo when she placed a spell over the last of the strips of gold. I ran to her and placed her arm around my neck and walked her back to her tent. She was almost unconscious when I laid her down, but before I could go she said, ‘Stay.’ I held her as she instantly dropped off into a heavy sleep. I was glad she asked me to stay; if I was to die tomorrow she was the one with whom I wanted to spend my last hours.
As I held Essa I slid seamlessly into a dream. Her tent faded away and we were lying in front of the fireplace back in my house in the Real World. I knew at once that this was just a dream and not a prediction. I never had the courage to ask Essa how old she was but I wouldn’t be surprised to find that she had like fifty years on her. Although that makes you a youngster around here, I’m sure she wouldn’t appreciate a couple of decades worth of wrinkles just for a tour of my old high school in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Shame, I’d love to show her around where I
