Right. But how was that going to help me now? Well, let’s think. I’m not planning to raise any crops, or squeeze out a rugrat. I look at the sculpture in nearest alcove. It was a statue of Dagda, a giant bearded man, symbol of magic and wisdom. Why do I feel like he’s staring at me?
I turn to look at the next alcove. There is a statue of Manannán, God of the Sea, and Fand’s mate. I shifted my gaze, checking each alcove in turn. They are all carvings of the original deities - the Tuatha De Dannan. Next to Manannán
was Lugh, a powerful warrior. Aengus, the god of love and youth. Then Nuada, the original King.
Then I saw her. The Morrigan. My ancestor. Goddess of war, and of death. Her statue looked exactly as she appeared in my dream. But what did that mean? I peered at the other sculptures, seeing Goibniu, the smithing god. Great, I’ll just order up a horseshoe for Keegan, maybe improve his luck a little bit and—
...And then, the next statue. It was Brigid. Her statue stood just two alcoves away. It was illuminated by a sunbeam, like showing me a spotlight. But what is the message?
I studied the sculpted goddess. Long curly hair falling around her body. Hands cupped in front of her, with a flame in her palms. Her dress flowed down to her feet, and a belt girdled her midsection. Something was hanging on her belt – a sheath, and in that sheath was a handle. But not a handle carved from marble. It was ivory... or was it bone? Could it be that the Dagda left this weapon, the Bone Knife, for safekeeping with his daughter, Brigid?
I shifted around, careful not to make any noise. As the Donn continued to distract Dian, I crawled toward the next section of pews, and Brigid’s alcove. Suddenly, Keegan popped his head out and grabbed at me. I escaped his grip and batted his hand away. His cheeks flushed red with anger as he tried to grab me again, but I moved quicker.
I slithered my way over toward Brigid, and sat back against the pew. To get the knife, I would have to expose myself, in the open. All this magical shit, but why no fucking Cloak of Invisibility when you need it? I prepared to make a dash for Brigid, and the Bone Knife she cradled. However, Brann scuffled over, and wrote ‘Come NOW’ in the dirt. I tried to push past him, but he gripped my arm so hard I nearly cried out (which would have been a total fan/shit interface.) “I can’t let you,” he whispered fiercely.
“Let go.”
“I promised Fionn to protect you.”
I shook my head, and pointed to the statue. Brann glanced up. “What?” He didn’t see it. I fingered the sand in front of me and wrote ‘belt’. He looked back at the statue. His eyes widened as he realized I had found the Bone Knife. I gave him a cocky smile. He wiped it off by slamming his lips into mine. The very best kind of attaboy.
I glanced at the Donn. “Why now?” Dian asked him suspiciously. “Why offer me your allegiance?” The Donn limped around the raised platform, and Dian turned as he moved, keeping his eyes on the old man. When he stopped moving I realized that Dian’s back was now toward the statue of Brigid. “I’ve noticed that you are the real leader of your brothers,” he smiled at Dian. “Young Dub is impulsive and quick to anger. Your eldest brother is full of malice and hate. Dothur acts as if everything is inferior to him, including you.” Dian did not disagree. “But you are more calculating,” the Donn went on. “You have the intelligence, the vision, to see the possibilities in the improbable.”
Brann saw the Donn had Dian’s full attention. He started to move, but I stopped him and whispered “No. This risk is mine.” He nodded with a smile. I began to sneak toward the statue, careful to avoid the dusty platters and burned candles scattered on the floor.
Dian was nodding. “You may be right. Dothur is Evil, but we have different mindsets. Still, his particular skill set has been invaluable to us... to me, over the years.” Then Dian noticed something, and reached for one of the blades strapped to his body.
“I grew up surrounded by fire and ash, poison and death,” hissed Dian. “It was something our mother raised us with. When she was taken from us, she was humiliated, broken, and stripped of her power at the hands of the Morrigan. She died a few days later, alone, and my brothers and I were banished.” Dian turned suddenly, throwing his dagger at the Morrigan’s statue. It struck the neck so fast and so hard, cracks began to split on either side. Then her stone head fell crashing to the floor, smashing to pieces.
“For centuries we slaved away, plotting revenge on the Morrigan, and to bring our mother back. Then I realized, if we kidnapped you, only the Morrigan could take your place and rule over the dead. Which left her bloodline unprotected. Oh, how we reveled in the glory of torturing and killing her family.”
I stood up on my tip toes, reaching for the knife. Just as I was finally able to touch the handle, my foot slipped. I was about to fall, when Brann’s hands caught me. With his great strength, he pushed me up higher. With that little boost, I managed to grip my hands around the ivory handle and slide it from the sheath. Gently, I lowered myself.
“So you will let me go?” Donn said hopefully.
Dian chuckled. “Of course not. Stuck on your island, the Morrigan has grown weaker and weaker. Enough so that by now, we can kill her, as she killed our mother. But we have one last little bird to
